Heating Grants Edinburgh: Home Energy Scotland 2026

Edinburgh's fuel poverty rate is lower than Scotland's, 24% against 31% in 2022 to 2024. That still means about one household in four struggles to heat their home. The schemes below are run by or through Home Energy Scotland, and its advisers can check what you qualify for on 0808 808 2282.

Edinburgh at a glance

Private renting: 22.5% of City of Edinburgh households rent from a private landlord or letting agency, the highest share of any Scottish council area and well above the 12.4% Scottish average. Source
How homes are heated: 79.0% of Edinburgh households use mains gas central heating and 10.2% electric. 3.3% (about 7,900 homes) have no central heating, and oil heats just 0.2%. Source
Fuel poverty: 24% of Edinburgh households were in fuel poverty in 2022 to 2024, significantly below the 31% Scottish average. Extreme fuel poverty was 12%, against 17% nationally. Source
Heat pump grant: Home Energy Scotland offers homeowners up to £7,500 in grant towards a heat pump plus an optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not cover Scotland. Source
Energy ratings: 60% of homes in Edinburgh were rated EPC A, B or C (SAP 2012) in 2022 to 2024, so about 40% were D or below. The Scottish average was 55%. Source

The main scheme for owners

The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan gives up to £7,500 in grant towards a heat pump or other clean heating, with an optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500. Insulation and efficiency measures get grant of up to 75% of their cost, capped at £7,500. There is no income test.

Funding is first come, first served each financial year. Apply and get approval before you sign with an installer.

Old buildings and grants

Grant-funded work still has to get planning or listed building consent where needed. In the World Heritage Site and conservation areas, internal measures such as loft insulation, floor insulation and secondary glazing are often easier to deliver than external changes. Home Energy Scotland does not grant-fund glazing, but its loan can cover replacing single glazing.

Lower incomes

Warmer Homes Scotland funds insulation and heating improvements for eligible households. Eligibility now considers age, income, health and the home's energy efficiency after changes in 2025.

Schemes that do not apply, or end soon

Edinburgh homes can't use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which covers only England and Wales. ECO4, the energy supplier scheme, finishes on 31 December 2026.

Edinburgh homes and what they need

Stone tenement flats

Most Edinburgh flats are in shared buildings, so whole-building work needs the other owners. Funding for your own flat's heating and internal insulation is easier.

Interwar and postwar suburban semis

Cavity and loft insulation, then a heat pump, is the classic grant-funded route for these houses.

Georgian and Victorian main-door flats and townhouses

Large, solid-walled homes can use the full grant quickly. The interest-free loan helps cover the gap on bigger projects.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Edinburgh work across areas including Leith, Morningside, Marchmont, Bruntsfield, Stockbridge, Portobello, Corstorphine, Gorgie, Musselburgh and Dalkeith.

View Edinburgh on Google Maps

Questions people in Edinburgh ask

Can landlords get these grants?

The Grant and Loan is for owner-occupiers living in the property. Landlords should ask Home Energy Scotland what currently applies to rented homes.

How long does an application take?

It varies with demand and the work involved. Get a written offer from Home Energy Scotland before any installation starts, or the work may not be eligible.

Is there extra help for homes in the World Heritage Site?

The national schemes apply in the same way. The difference is that some work needs planning or listed building consent first, which can add time.

Sources

Also nearby: Heating grants in Glasgow, Heating grants in Dundee

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