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The following table sets out the total number of rural uplift applications approved, and the total number paid through the HES Grant and Loan Scheme between September 2022 and October 2023, broken down by local authority area.

Applicants have 9 months to complete works and claim their funding from the date that their funding application is approved. This means that payments to applicants are often made in the months following their application approval, which is why the numbers paid will not be equal to the numbers approved.

We do not run marketing campaigns that specifically seek to target people over 55. Our campaigns promote our offer of support to those who need support heating their homes as well as potential early adopters of heat pumps. As those campaigns are evaluated we will look at the impact across a range of groups.

Clean heating system maintenance costs will vary depending on factors including the type of system and usage. We are proposing a technology-neutral approach to decarbonising homes across Scotland, with homeowners able to choose the technology which is right for them. We do not expect the cost to households of maintaining a clean heating system to be significantly different from what they would pay for a polluting heating system. The estimated maintenance costs in existing homes in 2020 used by the Climate Change Committee Sixth Carbon Budget, and developed with latest available evidence and input from a range of industry stakeholders, are the same (£100 per year) for both air source heat pumps and gas boilers. Of course many low income households rent their properties through private or social landlords, and while these maintenance costs will be comparable to those living in owner occupied homes, they will typically sit with the landlord.

As we continue to engage with the sector, if a need to collect this information emerges then we will consider it.

Applications to the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme can be unsuccessful due to the failure of a credit check. Credit checks are only carried out when an applicant is requesting loan funding.

An application may also be declined if the application fails to meet the conditions of the scheme. For example, if the applicant were to apply to use a non-accredited installer or if the measures applied for were not recommended for their property.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken economic modelling on this particular point. We will continue to engage with the sector in ensuring it can respond to the increasing take up of clean heating systems over the next decades, including undertaking economic analysis if this is appropriate.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Renewables Installer Finder tool, funded by Scottish Government, provides information on Microgeneration Certification Scheme certified installers who operate in Scotland and wish to list their information on the tool. The tool can be found at: Renewables Installer Finder (est.org.uk)

As highlighted in the Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation Framework release from 28 November, existing data on further and higher education enrolments and apprenticeship starts may give an indication of the scale of the skills pipeline for the sector, however since educational groupings can be quite broad, there are data limitations. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and post-school learning and training providers to better understand those who enrol on courses that are relevant to the framework.

The most recent marketing campaign for the Home Energy Scotland grants was in March 2023. The budget spent on this campaign was £203,755.

A further campaign specifically talking to grant and loans in relation to Heat Pump installation is planned for the new year which is budgeted for £480,000 and £286,433 has been spent so far.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

We have recently provided data on the number and value of grants and loans awarded for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme broken down at local authority level under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004. This can be found on the Scottish Government website here.