Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Schemes Contract administration and management: equality impact assessment

Background

This is an Equalities Impact Assessment for the Scottish Government’s contract through which several grant and loan funding schemes for clean heating and energy efficiency are delivered, looking specifically at the application and claim process for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan (HESGL) Scheme. The contract encompasses several schemes; however the HESGL has the greatest uptake by a significant margin and the greatest impact on individuals.

The HESGL Scheme was launched in December 2022 and offers domestic owner-occupiers a grant, interest free loan or combination of both to support the installation of energy efficiency measures and clean heating systems.

The HESGL Scheme is open to all domestic owner-occupiers in Scotland and does not have similar eligibility requirements as Fuel Poverty Schemes (receipt of benefits, time lived in property or property size), like Area Based Schemes or Warmer Homes Scotland.

The scheme is also consumer led, meaning applicants are required to submit their application and claim funding of their own accord. This includes phoning the HES advice service to be referred to the scheme, navigating the application process and submitting any necessary documentation.

Energy Saving Trust (EST) administer the contract under which the scheme is delivered. They are responsible for processing all applications and claims, maintaining and operating the system through which the applications are processed, and contacting applicants directly.

EST have already made considerations into the accessibility of the application process, implementing several key features such as language considerations and making the application process understandable.

Scottish Government published the Heat in Buildings (HIBs) Strategy in October 2021 which outlines the steps we will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Scotland’s homes, workplaces and community buildings, ensuring that we remove poor energy efficiency as a driver for fuel poverty. The strategy outlines our vision that by 2025 our homes and buildings will be cleaner, greener and easy to heat, with our homes and buildings no longer contributing to climate change, as part of the wider just transition to net zero and tackling our climate emergency.