Heat pump grants · Scotland
How the Home Energy Scotland grant works, from the people who fit the heat pumps
If you live in Scotland and you’re thinking about a heat pump, the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan is the big one. It can take thousands off the cost, and for some homes it covers the lot.
We’re RCA Plumbing & Heating, MCS certified heat pump installers covering Stirling, Falkirk, Alloa and the Forth Valley, and we’ve seen this grant work for our own customers. Here’s how it works, who qualifies and what happens at each step, in plain English.
The short version
You can get a grant of up to £7,500 towards a heat pump, or £9,000 if your home qualifies for the rural uplift, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500. It’s for homeowners in Scotland, for the home they live in. You must use an MCS certified installer, and you must not start work until you have a written funding offer.
How much can you get?
The grant covers up to £7,500 of the cost of an air, ground or water source heat pump. Qualifying rural homes get an extra £1,500, taking the grant to £9,000. If the installation costs more than the grant, you can borrow up to £7,500 more as an interest-free loan.
Funding covers up to 100% of your quoted installation cost, up to those limits. So if your quote comes in under the grant amount, the grant can cover all of it. That’s exactly what happened on our Blackford job.
| Your home | Grant | Interest-free loan | Total support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Up to £7,500 | Up to £7,500 | Up to £15,000 |
| With the rural uplift | Up to £9,000 | Up to £7,500 | Up to £16,500 |
Who qualifies?
Usually eligible
- You own the home and it’s your main residence
- It’s an existing home in Scotland
- The heat pump will provide all of your heating and hot water
- The installer and the heat pump are MCS certified
- You don’t need to be on benefits
Not eligible
- Holiday homes and second homes
- Self-build homes
- Hybrid heat pumps and air-to-air systems
- Replacing an existing heat pump (loan only, no grant)
- Any work that started before your written offer
This guide is for homeowners. Private landlords have a separate route through Home Energy Scotland, and your adviser will confirm what applies to you.
The rural uplift explained
The extra £1,500 is for homes in remote rural and island areas, and for homes in accessible rural areas that are off the gas grid, as set out in the Scottish Government’s Urban Rural Classification. It’s checked by postcode, and your Home Energy Scotland adviser will tell you whether your home qualifies.
Both of the jobs below qualified: a rural home in Blackford, Perthshire, and a bungalow in California, near Falkirk.
The interest-free loan
If your installation costs more than the grant, the loan can cover the gap. It’s optional, interest-free, and you can pay it off early with no penalty.
Step by step: from first call to grant paid
Call Home Energy Scotland
Ring the free advice line on 0808 808 2282. An adviser checks you’re eligible, including the rural uplift, and explains the process. They usually email you an application link within two working days.
Get a survey and quote from an MCS installer
Your quote needs to be dated, on headed paper, addressed to you, show the installation address and break down the work and costs. Home Energy Scotland recommends getting at least three quotes, then you send in the one you choose.
Apply through the customer portal
You submit the application yourself and upload your quote. Home Energy Scotland aims to process a complete application within 10 working days.
Sign your funding offer
You’ll get a written offer to sign electronically within 14 days. Your funding is only reserved once that offer has been issued.
Book the installation
Now the work can start. If you need it, you can ask Home Energy Scotland for up to 60% of your funding up front towards a deposit for materials.
Installation and paperwork
Once your heat pump is installed and commissioned, you get an MCS certificate. You’ll also need an EPC carried out after the installation.
Claim your funding and pay your installer
Upload your invoice, the post-installation EPC and the MCS certificate. Payment is made within 10 working days of a complete claim, then takes 3 to 5 working days to reach your account. The money is paid to you, you pay your installer, and you send proof of payment within 10 working days.
You have nine months from signing your offer to finish the installation and send in your claim.
Real examples from our jobs
Mistakes that can cost you the grant
- Starting work before your written offer. Funding can’t be given retrospectively.
- Using an installer who isn’t MCS certified. Both the installer and the product must be certified.
- Choosing a hybrid or air-to-air system. Neither is eligible.
- Leaving it late in the year. Funding is first come, first served within each financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March.
- Letting your offer run out. You have nine months to install and claim.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in Scotland?
No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is for England and Wales. In Scotland, the support for heat pumps comes through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan.
Do I need an EPC before I apply?
Not for a heat pump. You will need an EPC carried out after the installation to claim your funding. If an EPC recommends loft or cavity wall insulation, ask your adviser whether that needs doing too.
Is the grant paid to me or to the installer?
To you. Home Energy Scotland pays the funding into your bank account, and you pay your installer.
How long does it take?
A complete application is usually processed within 10 working days. Once you’ve signed your offer, you have nine months to complete the installation and claim.
Do I need to be on benefits?
No. You don’t need to be on benefits to qualify. You need to own the home and live in it as your main residence.
I already have a heat pump. Can I get a grant to replace it?
Replacement heat pumps don’t get the grant, but you may be able to get an interest-free loan of up to £7,500, assessed case by case.
Will a heat pump work in my home?
Every home is different, which is why we start with a proper survey and heat loss calculation before recommending anything. We’ve fitted heat pumps in homes that came off oil and off electric storage heaters, including one where other installers had said it couldn’t be done.
Thinking about a heat pump?
We’re MCS certified heat pump installers covering Stirling, Falkirk, Alloa, Dunblane, Perth and the wider Forth Valley. Get an estimate online, or give us a call and we’ll talk you through the grant and what your home needs.
More from RCA: heat pump installation in the Forth Valley, our Heat Geek accreditation and all our case studies.
Grant and loan details are taken from Home Energy Scotland’s published guidance and terms, checked in October 2026. Funding depends on eligibility and availability, and the scheme can change, so always check the latest on the Home Energy Scotland website.
