Scotland hits renewable technology installation milestone

That means 200,000 home and business owners have invested in low-carbon energy and heating solutions, including solar PV and heating technologies for their buildings. The latest installation figures show that over 35,000 of these installations are heat pumps.

Heat pumps are a vital part of Scotland’s plans to reach net-zero by 2045. Scotland has historically led the four nations in terms of heat pump uptake in the UK, with 1.42% of Scottish households having a heat pump installed. MCS data reveals that just over 5,000 heat pumps have been installed in Scotland this year already, making 2023 Scotland’s best year ever for heat pump uptake.

Since its launch in 2015, the Home Energy Scotland Grant (HES) and Loan has played a big part in Scotland’s transition away from fossil fuel boilers to heat pumps. The HES grant provides Scottish consumers with £7,500 towards the cost of a heat pump, with some Scottish households able to claim up to £9,000 with a rural uplift. The grant is an attractive incentive for Scottish homeowners which is also bolstered by an optional interest-free loan of up to an additional £7,500.

Daniel Merrett of Monikie, a rural village near Dundee, had an air source heat pump installed by IMS Heat Pumps in January, through the funding available from the HES grant. Daniel said: “cost was a significant factor, and the funding available towards the installation cost was the deciding factor for me”.

“My building contractor recommended IMS Heat Pumps as they had worked with them before and were satisfied with their work, and importantly were MCS Certified which was extremely important as I was utilising the Home Energy Scotland Grant with rural uplift and interest free loan to fund the installation.”

Lee Brown, Operations Director at IMS Heat Pumps, added: “Heat pumps are an obvious option for rural homes, particularly those off the gas grid. The incentive scheme offered by the Scottish government is a huge help for homeowners in Scotland looking to decarbonising their home heating, and we’re pleased to see incentive schemes in England and Wales have recently been brought closer to the level of offering provided north of the border.”

The Scottish government also provides heating engineers with a grant to become MCS certified for heat pumps. The grant will pay 75%, up to a maximum of £1,000, of a contractors’ certification fees until the end of March 2024. This is great incentive to encourage heating engineers to transition away from the installation of fossil fuel boilers, and towards the installation of high-quality MCS certified heat pumps.

Speaking about the success of low-carbon heating in Scotland, Ian Rippin, MCS CEO, said: “Scotland is primed to support the rollout of heat pumps and the Grant and Loans Scheme offered by Home Energy Scotland and the Scottish Government has made them an achievable, affordable option for thousands of homeowners.

“The MCS Certification Fund is also helping hundreds of installers meet industry-expected standards of skill and competence to supply these technologies. If we are to reach UK targets of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 and match supply with public demand, we need to see more supportive policies just like those in Scotland already.”