The Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) contract was due to end in September 2022, the Scottish Government confirmed in its Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in October 20211. Ministers stated that they intended to procure a replacement rather than extend the existing arrangement.
The Fuel Poverty Strategy, published on 23 December 2021, set out the proposed shape of that replacement: "The Warmer Homes Scotland contract is due to end in September 2022 and we propose to replace it with a new and enhanced 7 year national scheme"2. The same wording appears in the full Fuel Poverty Strategy document published in December 20213. A separate impact assessment, published on 11 November 2021, said the government would "procure a new, enhanced successor to Warmer Homes Scotland following expiry of the current contract in September 2022, which will provide support for fuel poor households at its heart, and embed increased support for zero emissions heating, adopting a zero emissions first approach"4.
"The Warmer Homes Scotland contract is due to end in September 2022 and we propose to replace it with a new and enhanced 7 year national scheme"
Warmer Homes Scotland is the Scottish Government's national fuel poverty scheme, delivered through its managing agent2. It funds the installation of a range of heating measures, including renewable and micro-renewable heating, and insulation measures2. More than £156 million had been invested through the scheme since its launch in September 2015, helping almost 25,000 households across Scotland2. Funding of £50m was allocated for WHS in 2021/22, up from £32m in 2020/212. Eligibility is based on receipt of specific benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, with a focus on those with a long term health condition, as well as carers, older people and families with children under 162.
The Scottish Government said the replacement scheme would continue to support fuel poor households facing the greatest health risks from living in a cold home2. It also said the successor would embed increased support for zero emissions heating4. No further detail on the successor scheme's eligibility rules, budget or start date has been reported in these documents.
Why it matters for households
Warmer Homes Scotland is one of the main routes by which households in or at risk of fuel poverty in Scotland can have insulation and heating measures installed at no cost to them2. A gap between the expiry of the current contract and the start of a successor would leave that route closed for the intervening period, though the sources do not state whether any gap was expected or how applications would be handled in the meantime.
The proposed successor is described as "enhanced" and as adopting a "zero emissions first approach"4. That points to a shift in the measures on offer, away from the fossil fuel heating systems the scheme has historically funded and towards low and zero emissions alternatives. For a household weighing up whether to wait for the new scheme or act sooner, the practical questions are which measures will be funded, who will qualify, and what the new scheme will pay for. None of those details appear in the published documents.
The wider context is a statutory target to convert over 1 million homes in Scotland to zero emissions heating by 2030, with emissions from heat in buildings required to fall by 68% by 2030 compared with 20205. The Scottish Government has also said it wants all fuel poor households to reach an energy efficiency rating equivalent to EPC C by 2030 and EPC B by 20401. Eligibility for the current scheme is set out in the Warmer Homes Scotland eligibility guidance, and the measures available are listed in the Warmer Homes Scotland measures guidance. Warmworks is the scheme's managing agent2.
What happens next
The Scottish Government said it would procure a new, enhanced successor to Warmer Homes Scotland following expiry of the current contract in September 20224. It proposed a seven year national scheme2. No procurement timetable, launch date or budget for the successor has been reported in these documents.
Sources5 cited
- Heat in Buildings Strategy - Summary document, gov.scot
- Chapter 3 – Making Homes Warmer and Cheaper to Heat - Tackling fuel poverty in Scotland: a strategic approach - gov.scot, gov.scot
- Tackling Fuel Poverty in Scotland: A Strategic Approach, gov.scot
- Heat in buildings strategy: child rights and wellbeing impact assessment - gov.scot, gov.scot
- Heat in Buildings Strategy : Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment Summary, gov.scot