Question reference: S6W-19952
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 14 July 2023
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 9 August 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it (a) has reportedly stopped offering interest-free loans for residential solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems and (b) decided not to accompany the cessation with any press release or publicity; what consultation was undertaken before withdrawing the loans, and for what reason it did not consider a grace period to be appropriate.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not stopped offering interest free loans for residential solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems. The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan currently provides grant funding of £1250 for the installation of each of these measures, with a further £4750 available as an interest free loan for each. This funding is available where these measures are installed alongside a renewable heating system.
Previously, the HES scheme also provided interest free loans for installation of solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems where not installed alongside a renewable heating system. For the reasons behind this decision, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19607 on 28 July 2023, lodged by Richard Leonard. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
This update to the scheme was communicated directly to potentially affected applicants to the scheme, and notified on the Home Energy Scotland Grant & Loan web page, rather than through a press release.
There was no specific consultation on this decision, however the update to the scheme is in line with the priorities and principles which were set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy. We consulted on a draft of this Strategy in February 2021.
The terms of the scheme are clear that funding is available on a first-come first-served basis while budget lasts. Any advance announcement would have risked a surge in applications that could have overwhelmed the advice and application services, as well as resulting in a total value of applications which would have exceeded the available budget.