Going solar is a great way to reduce your energy bills (even in cloudy Scotland), but it tends to come with a large upfront cost – which is why you should see if you can access any grants.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many schemes available to households in Scotland, and those that do exist are extremely restrictive about which applicants and systems they’ll approve.

In this guide, we’ll go into detail about which grants you can access at the moment, how you can qualify, and what you could get through them.

If you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

Upcoming solar panel grants in Scotland

There are no upcoming solar panel grants for households in Scotland, other than the Warm Homes Plan (more on this below).

We’ve contacted the Scottish government for comment, and will update this section if anything changes.

The three solar grants in Scotland

There are significantly fewer government grants for solar panels in Scotland when compared to England or Wales.

Households in England can potentially benefit from the Warm Homes: Local Grant or Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, while the Welsh government offers the Warm Homes Nest scheme and Green Homes Wales.

None of these initiatives exist in Scotland, but you may be able to access ECO4, the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan, or the Warm Homes Plan.

1. ECO4

Grants covering up to 100% of the cost

In January 2013, the UK government launched the Energy Company Obligation. It’s since spent £4 billion in an attempt to reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions in Britain.

The fourth phase – ECO4 – began in July 2022, but the scheme is set to end completely in December 2026, with no plans to extend it or launch ECO5. This is partly due to the new Warm Homes Plan, which we discuss below.

Across more than 13 years, ECO has compelled energy companies with at least 150,000 customers to fit more than 4.4 million home improvements in around 2.6 million households – for little to no cost.

You can get improvements including insulation, solar panels, heating systems, boiler upgrades, and a district heating connection if you’re an eligible homeowner, private renter, or social housing tenant (with permission).

If you want to switch to solar though, your home must primarily use an air source heat pump, electric storage heater, or alternative electric heating system.

However, a different part of the scheme – the Local Authority and Supplier Flex (LA Flex) – does enable councils to help underprivileged households that don’t meet ECO4’s criteria.

To find out more, read our full guide to getting solar panels with ECO4.

Impact of ECO4 in Scotland

Energy suppliers have carried out 484,000 energy efficiency measures in Scotland, which is around 11% of all ECO upgrades.

When you consider that the country’s population of 5.5 million makes up just 8.2% of Britain’s 67.4 million, Scottish homes have benefitted more than most from the ECO scheme.

A total of 12,210 households in Scotland have switched to solar via ECO, which is 2.5% of all improvements carried out in the country.

Solar panels make up just 1.5% of all ECO measures across Britain, so they’ve played a larger part in the scheme’s deployment in Scotland than in other parts of the island.

Eligibility requirements

You’ll have to apply before 2027 to qualify for ECO4, as the scheme closes to new applicants on 31 December 2026.

The government is only accepting submissions from homeowners, social housing tenants with an EPC rating below C, and private renters who have their landlord's permission.

You’ll also need to receive at least one of these means-tested benefits:

• Child Benefit (with an annual income below specific thresholds, based on how many adults and children live with you)
• Housing Benefit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment & Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit

If you don’t fulfil these criteria, you could still be eligible for ECO4 LA Flex.

To qualify for this funding – which comes via your local authority – you’ll usually need to have an annual household income under £31,000, be medically vulnerable, or have a health condition that’s made worse by a cold home.

Households that are in fuel debt or disconnected from their prepayment meter should also get in touch with their local authority to check what help’s available.

To get a solar installation though, your home will need to rely on an electric heating system.

Application process

Eligible households should get in touch with their local authority, or contact any ECO4 suppliers. You don’t have to be a customer, so you can approach any of them.

If your application is accepted, a professional assessor will pay you a visit and decide which improvements would best suit your household.

Once you’ve signed off on their plan for your home, the supplier you’ve selected will install these measures for free.

The only recipients who have to pay are people who ask for extra upgrades.

If you’re not eligible for ECO4 but you’re feeling put off by the high upfront cost of solar, consider Sunsave Plus, the UK’s first solar subscription – which means you can go solar with no upfront cost.

To find out how much you could save with Sunsave Plus, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

2. Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan

£5,000 loan for hybrid solar panels

The Scottish government launched this initiative in 2017, though it was called the Loan and Cashback scheme until 2022.

Home Energy Scotland, which runs the scheme, is a government-funded body that provides advice and administers various programmes, including Warmer Homes Scotland.

The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan is available to homeowners all over Scotland, who can claim up to £7,500 in grant funding for measures including heat pumps, biomass boilers, and solid wall insulation.

On top of this, you can also access an interest-free loan of up to £8,000 for improvements like heat pumps, heat connections, and double glazing.

Rural and island households can claim an extra £1,500 in grant funding for both a heating system and a renewable energy generator – so an additional £3,000, overall.

However, the only solar installation available is hybrid panels, which combine electricity-producing photovoltaic cells with thermal technology that generates hot water.

And the only funding available is a loan of up to £5,000, with the government prioritising heating systems over devices that generate renewable electricity, like solar panels.

Home Energy Scotland funding for solar panels and batteries stopped in June 2024, and hasn’t returned since.

Impact of Home Energy Scotland

Between 2017 and 2021 – when it was the Loan and Cashback scheme – Home Energy Scotland (HES) paid out 652 loans, worth a combined £2.97 million.

HES introduced grant funding for solar panels when it launched the Grant and Loan scheme in December 2022, as an update to the Loan and Cashback programme.

Between May 2021 and June 2023, HES funded 202 grants costing £251,000, and spent £11.8 million on 2,972 more loans.

Overall, this means the Scottish government paid out just over £15 million on this scheme between 2017 and 2023.

These statistics don’t include the final 12 months of the scheme, so we’ve sent a Freedom of Information request to the Scottish government to ask for data about grants and loans paid out during this time.

We’ll update the page when we get a response.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible, you just need to own a home in Scotland that’s your primary private residence.

There are no other requirements – for example, you don’t have to be a low-income household or receive any benefits to qualify.

Application process

First, you should contact Home Energy Scotland for free on 0808 808 2282. You can also get in touch via the organisation’s online contact form, but it can take up to 10 working days for someone to get back to you.

An advisor will ask you some questions about your home, the occupants, and your personal circumstances to work out whether you’re eligible for this and any other schemes.

If your application requires a specialist recommendation report, the advisor will refer you to the renewables specialist team, who will call you and create a report.

If you qualify for the scheme, your advisor will email you a link to your funding application within two working days. To fill it in, you may need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and an itemised quote from a solar installer. 

Home Energy Scotland aims to process your application within 10 working days. If you’re successful, the body will send you a funding offer that you’ll need to sign within 14 days.

You must then ensure that the installation is complete and you’ve submitted your final funding claim within the next nine months.

3. Warm Homes Plan

Grants or low-interest loans covering 100% of the cost

In January 2026, the UK government unveiled this scheme, which is set to offer grants and low-interest loans to homes when it launches.

However, it’s still not clear when the £15 billion initiative will begin, or who will be eligible for its different parts.

There are some details about what English homeowners can expect, but it's not clear what'll happen in Scotland.

All the government has said is that £1.5 billion will go towards “other funding for Warm Homes Plan programmes and devolved administrations”.

That means Scotland will share £1.5 billion with Wales, Northern Ireland, and other, as-yet-unspecified initiatives.

If Scotland uses its funding in a similar way to England, we can expect to see grants made available to low-income households and interest-free or low-interest loans handed out to other homes – all of which could be used to go solar.

Local grants in Scotland

It’s worth investigating whether your council offers any solar funding, as some local authorities have created their own schemes.

Your council may also be able to help you access ECO4 LA Flex funding, which is made available to some residents who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for ECO4.

You could be eligible if you’re part of a low-income household, medically vulnerable, or have a health condition that’s exacerbated by a cold home – though LA Flex is set to end on 31 December 2026, like the rest of ECO4.

Next steps

If you’re thinking about switching to solar in Scotland, it’s definitely worth finding out if you’re eligible for a grant – but most people won’t qualify.

ECO4 has restrictive eligibility criteria and is set to end in December 2026, the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan only funds hybrid solar panels, and we don’t yet know what the Warm Homes Plan will provide.

Sunsave Plus, on the other hand, empowers you to go solar with no upfront cost. If you’re wondering how much you could save with a solar & battery system, enter a few details below and we’ll provide an estimate.

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