The Scottish government offers a single
If you are a homeowner in Scotland looking to replace your heating system with a heat pump, the key financial support is a non-repayable grant delivered through Home Energy Scotland (HES). This is a fixed cash sum paid directly to your installer after the work is completed and inspected, not a voucher or a loan that must be repaid.
The maximum grant amount for an air source heat pump installation in a home without existing gas central heating is £7,500 (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). If your home currently uses gas central heating, the maximum grant drops to £5,000 (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). The grant is applied for by you, the homeowner, and paid to the installer once the installation passes an inspection by HES.
A heat pump grant in Scotland is not the same as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England – the key difference is the upfront value
Homeowners comparing support across the UK need to understand that the Scottish grant operates differently from England’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). The BUS in England offers a flat £7,500 grant, but the installer applies for it, not the homeowner (GOV.UK, 2026). In Scotland, the process is homeowner-led, and the grant is also £7,500 for off-gas homes.
The critical difference is that the Scottish grant can be combined with a separate, interest-free loan of up to £7,500, giving off-gas homes a total combined support of up to £15,000 (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). In England, no additional loan is available through the BUS. This makes Scotland’s package significantly more generous for most households.
The total available support in Scotland for a heat pump in 2026 can reach £15,000 when you combine the grant with an interest-free loan
The maximum grant for an off-gas home is £7,500, and for an on-gas home it is £5,000. On top of this, you can apply for an interest-free loan of up to £7,500 for the same installation, repayable over five years (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). The loan amount is capped at £7,500 regardless of whether your home has gas or not.
Therefore, the maximum combined support you can access is £15,000 for an off-gas home (grant plus loan) and £12,500 for an on-gas home (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). This combined figure is the total financial assistance available, not the final cost of the installation.
Quick numbers grant amounts, loan amounts, and typical installation costs for a heat pump in Scotland in 2026
The table below summarises the key financial figures for heat pump installations in Scotland in 2026. All figures are from Home Energy Scotland and the Energy Saving Trust.
| Category | Air source heat pump | Ground source heat pump |
|---|---|---|
| Off-gas: Maximum grant | £7,500 | £7,500 |
| Off-gas: Maximum loan | £7,500 | £7,500 |
| Off-gas: Combined support | £15,000 | £15,000 |
| On-gas: Maximum grant | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| On-gas: Maximum loan | £7,500 | £7,500 |
| On-gas: Combined support | £12,500 | £12,500 |
| Typical installation cost | £8,000–£14,000 | £14,000–£22,000 |
Typical installation costs for an air source heat pump range from £8,000 to £14,000, while ground source systems are higher at £14,000 to £22,000 (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). The grant and loan combined can cover the full cost of an air source installation for many off-gas homes.
The eligibility rules for the 2026 heat pump grant in Scotland are straightforward and depend on your home, your heating system, and your property type
To qualify for the grant, you must own your home or have written permission from your landlord if you are a private tenant (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). Your home must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E or better, or you must agree to install any recommended loft or cavity wall insulation as part of the grant process.
You must use an installer certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or an equivalent scheme. Also, you cannot have received a previous HES renewable heat grant for the same property (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). If you meet these conditions, you are likely eligible.
To claim the grant, you must use an MCS-certified installer
The grant requires that your installer is registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) for heat pump installation. MCS is a UK-wide quality standard that ensures products and installers meet technical and safety requirements (MCS, 2026). You can verify an installer’s certification on the MCS website or through Home Energy Scotland’s approved installer list.
Using an installer without MCS certification means you will not qualify for the grant or the interest-free loan (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). This is a hard requirement, so always check certification before agreeing to any work. How to find a certified heat pump installer in your area
The direct answer to the question “What is the heat pump grant in Scotland in 2026?” is up to £7,500 off the installation cost, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500
The heat pump grant in Scotland for 2026 is a fixed, non-repayable sum of up to £7,500 for off-gas homes (or £5,000 for on-gas homes), which you can supplement with an interest-free loan of up to £7,500, repayable over five years (Home Energy Scotland, 2026). The grant is a fixed amount, not a percentage of the installation cost, and both the grant and loan are administered by Home Energy Scotland. Step-by-step guide to applying for the Home Energy Scotland grant
Frequently Asked Questions
The maximum heat pump grant in Scotland for 2026 is £7,500 for off-gas homes and £5,000 for homes with gas central heating, according to Home Energy Scotland.
Yes, you can combine the heat pump grant with an interest-free loan of up to £7,500, giving total support of up to £15,000 for off-gas homes, as confirmed by Home Energy Scotland.
You, the homeowner, apply for the grant through Home Energy Scotland, not your installer. The grant is paid to the installer after an HES inspection.
No, the Scottish grant is homeowner-led and can be combined with a loan, while England's Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is installer-led and offers no additional loan (GOV.UK, 2026).
The maximum total support in Scotland for 2026 is £15,000, comprising a £7,500 grant and a £7,500 interest-free loan for off-gas homes, per Home Energy Scotland.
