The Scottish Government has confirmed that the Warmer Homes Scotland contract is due to expire on 30 June 2023, with its successor scheme due to go live on 3 July 2023. The dates appear in a Heat in Buildings national scheme island communities impact assessment screening, published on 29 September 2022 by the Energy and Climate Change Directorate and the Local Government and Housing Directorate1.
The document describes what the existing scheme does and who it reaches. Warmer Homes Scotland retrofits privately occupied homes with heating systems and energy efficiency measures, including high heat retention electric storage heating systems, air source heat pumps, energy efficient gas boilers and a suite of insulation options. Eligibility is targeted toward the fuel poor, with benefits eligibility, age and personal circumstances used as proxies for fuel poverty, and it is continuously reviewed to align more closely with the fuel poor demographic1.
The successor scheme is set out as a continuation rather than a redesign. It will follow the same model as the existing scheme, of a contract with a Managing Agent to provide a consistent service nationally using a network of installers, and its aim has been refined to supporting the fuel poor through the heat transition1.
"The Warmer Homes Scotland contract is due to expire 30 June 2023. The new successor scheme is due to go live 3 July 2023"
The screening also sets out how the successor scheme will be measured. The existing contract has six Key Performance Indicator regions, and performance levels must be reached across all regions for a performance linked fee to be paid. The new contract will continue to identify islands as a distinct group for measuring KPIs, ensuring the same standard of performance is consistent across the country1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Existing contract expiry | 30 June 2023 |
| Successor scheme start | 3 July 2023 |
| Delivery model | Contract with a Managing Agent, using a network of installers |
| Eligibility | Targeted toward the fuel poor, using benefits eligibility, age and personal circumstances as proxies |
| KPI regions | Six in the existing contract; islands remain a distinct group in the new contract |
The screening states that the scheme will be accessible to all households in Scotland, including island households where they meet the eligibility requirements. Intended outcomes for island households are the same as for mainland households: to deliver a fuel bill saving for those in fuel poverty and to decarbonise the heating system where it is not detrimental to fuel poverty principles1. Island communities are defined for the scheme using the Islands Act definition, covering communities of two or more people who permanently inhabit an island and are based on common interest, identity or geography1.
Why it matters for households
For a household that has been waiting on a Warmer Homes Scotland assessment or installation, the practical question is which scheme, and which contract, its work falls under. The published dates leave a gap of two days between the existing contract ending and the successor scheme starting, and the document does not say how applications or works in progress are handled across that boundary. That has not been reported1.
The measures named in the document are the same categories households ask about most: insulation and heating measures such as high heat retention storage heating, air source heat pumps and gas boilers. Eligibility continues to be built around fuel poverty proxies rather than a single income test, so a household's position depends on benefits, age and circumstances rather than on the scheme's name1.
Because the successor keeps the Managing Agent model, the route to a managing agent and its installer network is expected to look familiar. The stated aim of delivering a fuel bill saving while decarbonising heating where it does not conflict with fuel poverty principles is the measure against which the new contract's performance will be judged, including on islands1.
What happens next
The screening gives two dated steps: the existing contract expires on 30 June 2023 and the successor scheme goes live on 3 July 20231. No further timetable for the successor scheme's launch, its full eligibility rules or its funding has been reported in this document.