Changes to the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme were approved by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy on 15 May 2024, according to a Scottish Government response to an environmental information request1. The scheme is delivered by Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Scottish Government1.
The response concerns "the decision to stop issuing funding to new applications for solar PV and energy storage systems" through the scheme1. The government stated that it does not hold a record or transcript of any ministerial meetings on that decision, and that searches did not identify any meeting between Ministers where the proposed changes were discussed1. It added that a record of official meetings dealing with substantive government business is required to be taken and stored under its records management policy1.
"The changes to the scheme were approved by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy (formerly Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy) on 15 May 2024."
The response was issued under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004, with an exemption applied under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 so the request would not also be handled under FOISA1. The government described this as a technical point with no material effect on the outcome1.
The response does not set out the full list of measures still supported, the funding levels attached to them, or the date the decision was taken, beyond the approval date of 15 May 20241. Those details have not been reported in this response.
Why it matters for households
For a household in Scotland considering solar panels or battery storage, the confirmed change means new applications for funding for those measures through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme are no longer being issued1. The scheme remains the main route for Scottish Government support for home energy improvements, delivered by Energy Saving Trust1, and the wider landscape of home energy grants in Scotland is affected when its scope changes.
The absence of any recorded ministerial meeting on the decision, as stated in the response1, means there is no published account of how the change was reached. For households weighing up whether to use a grant or a loan, the distinction between the two routes is set out in the scheme's own terms, and the grant versus loan comparison explains how each works. The practical effect is that the funding mix available for a home's energy independence in Scotland has narrowed for solar and storage, while other measures under the scheme are unaffected by this particular change as described1.
What happens next
The response gives no further dated steps beyond the approval on 15 May 20241. No timetable for any replacement support for solar PV or energy storage has been reported in this response.