Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what recommendations it has made regarding ratings for gas boilers versus electric heaters on EPC reports.
In October 2025, the Scottish Government published its updated Government Response to the 2023 Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reform consultation. This set out that the reformed domestic EPC will include three main ratings:
The type of heating system installed in the building will not impact the Heat Retention Rating.
The updated Government Response set out that the Heating System Rating will reflect the emissions and efficiency of the main heating system. The rating system will see gas boilers achieve up to an ‘E’ rating, determined by their efficiency and emissions, while direct electric heating will achieve a ‘B’ rating.
The updated Government Response also set out that the Energy Cost Rating would be based on the cost of energy to power a home each year, including costs associated with heating. The rating would use standardised factors, such as energy prices and occupancy, to provide a rating based on the modelled cost to run the home.