Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support will be available for off-gas-grid homeowners and businesses who will be required to replace a direct emissions heating system when undertaking conversion works after 1 April 2024.
Our New Build Heat Standard will apply to all new buildings seeking building warrant approval from 1 April 2024, as well as major conversions of existing buildings where certain criteria are met. The criteria will be outlined in due course, drawing from the consultations we have hosted on the New Build Heat Standard.
The Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland (HES) grants offers funding for homeowners and self-builders across Scotland to invest in energy efficiency improvements, zero emissions heating, micro-renewables and battery storage.
The Scottish Government currently provides significant support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through Business Energy Scotland (BES). BES can provide advice on installation of energy efficient and low carbon technologies including zero-direct emissions heating systems for businesses who are off the gas grid.
BES is also responsible for signposting businesses to the SME Loan and Cashback Scheme and for producing the assessment reports that are a prerequisite for application.
The successor to the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme will launch on 3 July 2023 and will last for a minimum of 5 years. It will provide eligible homeowners with access to a fully supported scheme from survey to installation to service visit, it will follow the PAS 2035 process and deliver whole house retrofit of heating and energy efficiency measures. Some design elements of the scheme are still being agreed, however it will take a zero emissions heating first approach to the measures offered to households.
Off-gas-grid homeowners and businesses may also be suitable for heat networks or communal heating systems. The £300 million Scotland’s Heat Network Fund offers capital grant funding for the rollout of new zero emission heat networks and communal heating systems, as well as the expansion and decarbonisation of existing heat networks across Scotland. The Fund will support both networks suited to urban environments as well as small, rural and community-led projects.
This September we launched the Heat Network Support Unit. Working primarily with public sector organisations, the Unit offers advice and grant funding for pre-capital stages of heat network projects.