Warmer Homes Scotland is a Scottish Government programme that can pay for insulation, heating and renewables in eligible homes. Its heating measures include a new gas boiler, an electric storage heater or an air source heat pump. This guide summarises the eligibility and application rules on the Home Energy Scotland and mygov.scot pages, which say the criteria may change from time to time. It covers Scotland only and is general information, not a promise that an application will succeed.

What the programme offers

Home Energy Scotland describes the programme as support worth £10,000 or more for eligible households, for improvements that make a home warmer and cheaper to heat. The measures listed are wall insulation, loft insulation, draught-proofing, central heating (including an electric storage heater, a new gas boiler or an air source heat pump) and a home renewables system. Mygov.scot says the Scottish Government will usually meet all the costs. If a household must pay some of the cost, it can apply for an interest-free loan, which Home Energy Scotland says is managed by Energy Saving Trust, subject to a credit check and includes an administration fee.

The programme is delivered by an organisation called Warmworks. Its assessor visits, checks eligibility and looks at each room and loft space to see which measures suit the home, and the improvements offered depend on that assessment. Funding is not available for work already completed, or for work by installers not approved by Warmworks.

Who can apply: the home

According to Home Energy Scotland, the applicant must be a homeowner or the tenant of a private-sector landlord and must live in the home as their main residence. The home must meet all of these conditions:

• it has a poor energy rating, which Warmworks assesses;
• its floor area is 230 square metres or less, typically up to five bedrooms;
• it is in council tax band A to G;
• it meets the tolerable living standard in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, or any shortfall does not affect how well the recommended improvements work.

The applicant must have lived there for at least six months, unless they hold an SR1, DS1500 or BASRiS form. A household supported by Warmer Homes Scotland in the last 12 months cannot apply, according to mygov.scot.

Who can apply: the household

Home Energy Scotland says the household must include either someone aged 75 or over with no working heating, someone with a DS1500 or BASRiS certificate completed by a medical professional, or someone who receives at least one passport benefit at any level or rate. The passport benefits listed include Adult Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment, Carer Support Payment, Council Tax Reduction (excluding the 25% discount), Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee (not Pension Credit Savings only), Scottish Child Payment and Universal Credit. The list is subject to change, so the current version on the Home Energy Scotland page is the one to check.

Private tenants and the repairing standard

A private tenant needs the landlord’s permission before improvements are installed, and Warmworks makes the landlord aware of which improvements the Scottish Government can fund and which the landlord may need to fund directly. Home Energy Scotland also says private rented homes covered by the statutory Repairing Standard no longer receive improvements that a landlord is legally obliged to provide. Its example is that landlords must keep heating installations working and in reasonable repair. Such homes remain eligible for other improvements. The landlord’s duties are explained in the guide to boilers and heating in a Scottish rented home.

How to apply

Mygov.scot says to apply by contacting Home Energy Scotland, by phone on 0808 808 2282 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm) or by completing the self-assessment tool, after which an adviser gets in touch. The adviser asks about the household and home, checks eligibility and refers the household to Warmworks. Home Energy Scotland notes that completing the self-assessment does not guarantee success, that applications depend on the criteria and on funding availability, and that eligibility may be affected by arranging energy-efficiency work between the first call and the Warmworks assessment.

If you are not eligible

Home Energy Scotland says households that do not meet the criteria may be eligible for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan or an area-based scheme through their council. UK-wide schemes such as ECO4 are compared in the guide to government boiler grants. Building standards for a replacement boiler in Scotland are covered in the guide to replacing a boiler in Scotland.

FAQs

Can a landlord apply for Warmer Homes Scotland?

The programme is for homeowners and private-sector tenants who meet the criteria. A tenant needs the landlord’s permission before work is installed.

Will the scheme always pay for a new boiler?

No. The improvements offered depend on Warmworks’ assessment of the home and the household’s eligibility, and funding is subject to availability.

Can I start work first and claim later?

No. Mygov.scot says work already done cannot be funded, and eligibility may be affected by work carried out before the Warmworks assessment.

The bottom line

Warmer Homes Scotland can fund central heating, including a new gas boiler, plus insulation and renewables, for eligible homeowners and private tenants in Scotland. Eligibility depends on the home, its energy rating and council tax band, and on the household including an older person without heating, a person with a DS1500 or BASRiS certificate, or someone on a passport benefit. Applications start with Home Energy Scotland. This is general information, not advice on a specific application.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 25 September 2026:

• Home Energy Scotland, “Warmer Homes Scotland”
• mygov.scot, “Warmer Homes Scotland scheme”

Related guides

Best Boiler Deals is an independent guide. We may earn a fee from some links; this never affects what we write. This article is general information, not regulated advice on any specific installation — always confirm the details with a Gas Safe registered engineer.