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Low and Zero Direct Emission Heating Technologies Resources and Financial Support

September 2023

Guidance and Resources

  • The Non-Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide 2022 for Scotland (Feb 2023) provides detailed guidance for the installation of fixed building services in new and existing buildings. It complies with energy efficiency requirements set out under standards 6.3 to 6.7 of the building regulations, as set out in section 6 of the 2022 the Technical Handbook. It covers the design, installation, and commissioning of low carbon heat generation by heat pumps, solar thermal panels, biomass boilers, direct electric space heating and micro-combined heat and power systems. 
  • Green Heat in Greenspaces is a project that extends Greenspace Scotland’s ParkPower programme that brings together public sector bodies to explore how urban green and blue spaces can support Scotland's low carbon heat transition by investigating the suitability of many types of urban open space for use as low carbon heat sources, heat storage sites and heat transmission corridors. 
  • A research report into Heat for Non-Domestic Buildings (Nov 2022) by Locogen on behalf of the government details the drivers and barriers to adopting zero direct emissions heating in non-domestic buildings across 20 case studies.

Financial Support

  • The Scottish government has pledged £1.8 billion of capital funding over the course of this current parliament (2021-2026) for heat decarbonisation, allowing for the acceleration of energy efficiency upgrades and renewable heating deployment. It has developed a range of delivery programmes to support the development and deployment of low carbon heating and energy efficiency in buildings, these are summarised below. The SSN webpage on the Public Sector Funding Map provides a good summary table of all government funding available to public bodies, see the relevant document pages to decarbonised heating systems p1-5. Further information can also be found in chapter 6 of the Heat in Buildings Strategy.
  • The Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation Scheme (launched 2021) is the main government-led capital funding mechanism to support leadership for decarbonisation of public buildings. It provides capital funding to the public sector to enable retrofitting of energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation to existing buildings. It will distribute £200 million of capital support between 2021-2026. The scheme consists of three components:
  1. The SALIX Finance Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme offers zero interest loans to all public bodies to enable them to undertake retrofit energy efficiency improvement projects. This includes installing insulation and ventilation.
  2. The Non-Domestic Public Energy Efficiency (NDEE) Procurement Framework and Project Support Unit. The NDEE framework supports the public and third sector to retrofit their non-domestic properties. There are two National Procurement Framework Agreements: one for projects under £1 million capital and the other for projects over £1 million capital. The NDEEF Project Support Unit supports users of the NDEE frameworks to develop to develop, procure & deliver energy saving projects.
  3. The Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme offers capital grant funding to public bodies classified as central government to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and install low and zero carbon heat systems.
  • The UK Government’s BEIS has a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures. The next application window is expected to open to applications in autumn 2023.