Quick answer: HES grants are free money — up to £15,000 (£18,000 rural) across two funding streams. Interest-free loans add up to £7,500 per stream, repaid over 10 years at 0%. Amounts depend on what you install and your eligibility.
Grants vs loans — what you repay and what you don’t
Home Energy Scotland offers two types of financial support: grants (non-repayable) and interest-free loans (repaid over time). Many homeowners qualify for both. Here’s exactly how they differ.
Grant
Non-repayable
- Clean heating: up to £7,500 (£9,000 rural)
- Energy efficiency: up to £7,500 (£9,000 rural)
- Combined max: up to £15,000 (£18,000 rural)
- Deducted from your installation cost
- You never pay it back
Loan
0% interest — repayable
- Up to £7,500 per stream
- Repaid over up to 10 years
- 0% interest — no extra cost
- Rural uplift does not apply to loans
- Subject to credit assessment
Worked example: rural heat pump installation
| Item | Amount | You repay? |
|---|---|---|
| Clean heating grant (rural) | £9,000 | No |
| Interest-free loan (clean heating) | £7,500 | Yes — 0% over 10 yrs |
| Total support (clean heating stream) | £16,500 | £7,500 repaid |
A separate energy efficiency grant of up to £9,000 (rural) plus an optional £7,500 loan may also be available if you install qualifying insulation or other efficiency measures at the same time.
Common misconceptions
- “I can get £18,000 for a heat pump and loan”
- The rural uplift applies to grants only. A rural heat pump grant is £9,000, but the loan stays at £7,500 — that’s £16,500 total support, not £18,000. The £18,000 figure is the maximum combined grants across both streams (clean heating + energy efficiency) for rural homeowners.
- “Solar panels qualify for a standalone grant”
- The standalone solar PV grant closed on 6 June 2024. Solar panels can still be funded under the energy efficiency stream when installed alongside other qualifying measures, or financed through the interest-free loan.
- “The BUS covers Scotland too”
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is for England and Wales only. Scottish homeowners apply through Home Energy Scotland instead.
Eligibility at a glance
- Natural person (not a business-owned property)
- Owner-occupier of the property
- Property on domestic council tax
- Installation by an MCS-certified company
Amounts depend on the measures installed and your eligibility. Source: Home Energy Scotland, checked August 2026.
Finance options may be available through our MCS-accredited installer partners, subject to status and eligibility. Any finance is arranged and provided by our authorised partners, not by Scottish Energy Efficiency. Government support may be available for eligible home-energy improvements — find out more at Home Energy Scotland (homeenergyscotland.org / 0808 808 2282).
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