The Scottish Government has set out that its successor to the Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback Scheme will be relaunched in Autumn 2022, with a new condition attached to applications. Under the plans, householders and private landlords applying for energy efficiency work must use suppliers approved through Scotland's TrustMark scheme. Microgeneration work will keep the existing requirement for Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) approved suppliers1.
The commitment appears in the Heat in Buildings Strategy Scottish Government Quality Assurance Policy Statement, published in May 2022. The document lists the relaunch among its milestones and timescales, alongside a Scottish Quality Assurance Consumer Oversight Group and a new online consumer portal to find approved suppliers in Scotland, both also scheduled for Autumn 20221.
"For our forthcoming successor to the Home Energy Scotland loans and cashback scheme, we will introduce a new requirement that applicants must use approved suppliers through Scotland's TrustMark scheme for energy efficiency work."
The statement describes the scheme as offering up to £100k to support implementation of carbon-saving measures such as renewable heating and insulation, with up to £20k cashback available in some instances1. It also notes that, at present, a householder can apply to use an unaccredited installer in exceptional circumstances where no local installer can be found who meets the scheme's requirements1.
The quality assurance measures are tied to the British Standards Institution's PAS 2035/30 retrofit standards, which the statement says cover 41 different energy efficiency measures1. The Scottish Government says it will integrate the Scottish installer skills matrix into both the BSI PAS 2030 installer standards and MCS installer standards in 2022, and that a Scottish Retrofit Standards Working Group has been set up to oversee PAS 2035/30 standards in Scotland1.
| Milestone | Stated timescale |
|---|---|
| TrustMark scheme for Scotland set up and ready for suppliers to join | Summer 2022 |
| Scottish Quality Assurance Consumer Oversight Group set up | Autumn 2022 |
| New online consumer portal to find approved suppliers in Scotland | Autumn 2022 |
| Relaunch of HES loans and cashback scheme with TrustMark/MCS supplier requirement | Autumn 2022 |
Source: Heat in Buildings Strategy: Scottish Government Quality Assurance Policy Statement1
The statement says the TrustMark and MCS requirements are not regulatory, describing them as standards it wants embedded across the sector1. It adds that meeting the required standards may incur additional expense depending on the project, and that a Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment would be published alongside the statement1. The statement also refers to a virtual National Public Energy Agency put in place by September 2022 as a stepping stone towards a dedicated body, which the government says will coordinate and scale up delivery of the heat decarbonisation agenda from 2025 onwards1.
Why it matters for households
For a household considering energy efficiency work, the change means the route to public financial support runs through an approved supplier. The Installer Schemes and Consumer Codes page explains what TrustMark and MCS approval involve. The practical effect is that a homeowner seeking a loan or cashback under the successor scheme would need to check a supplier's approval status before work begins, rather than after. The statement frames this as consumer protection: it says the measures aim to ensure work is carried out by competent individuals, with warranties and guarantees backed by independent inspections, and a single point of contact for complaints1.
The statement acknowledges that compliance may add cost to a project, while arguing that this is outweighed by avoiding remedial work where quality assurance is insufficient1. It does not set out the rates, repayment terms or cashback levels of the successor scheme beyond the £100k and £20k figures. Those details have not been reported in the document.
What happens next
The relaunch is listed for Autumn 2022, with the TrustMark scheme for Scotland, the consumer oversight group and the online supplier portal all given the same window1. The statement says the Scottish Government is also procuring a new enhanced successor to the Warmer Homes Scotland Scheme, due to go live when the current contract expires, which it says will adopt PAS 2030/2035 standards1. No specific launch date for the HES successor has been reported.