Data for programmes intended to support improvements in home energy performance: EIR release

Information requested

1. For each programme listed below please provide the following data for the years 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 (or up to latest full year for which data is available):

1. What was total actual spend for each programme?
2. What was the allocated spend for each programme?
3. How many households were improved in each programme?
4. What were the age breakdowns of the households receiving support in each programme?
5. What was the impact of each programme on:

• Average fuel bills
• Fuel poverty rates
• Home Energy Performance as measured by EPCs

6. What information was collected on the characteristics of recipients for each programme (e.g. age, gender, ethnicity, disability, income, benefits received, household size).

Programmes

• Warmer Homes Scotland
• Home Energy Scotland Grants and Loans Scheme
•  Area Based Schemes energy efficiency scheme
• Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund

Marketing

What was the total amount spent on marketing and PR directly by the Scottish Government to encourage and promote uptake of the above programmes 2024/25.

What was the total amount spent on marketing and PR indirectly via the EST to encourage and promote uptake of the above programmes 2024/25.

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Some of the information you have requested is available from the Scottish Government website. This includes a summary of progress as part of our Heat in Buildings Strategy Heat in Buildings: progress report 2025 - gov.scot.

I have attached tables to this letter providing links to this information for each programme referenced in your request to which this response applies.

Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. Where this applies to your request, I have also shown this in the tables attached to this document as it relates to each programme.

This exception is subject to the 'public interest test'. Despite not holding this information, we have a statutory obligation to apply this test. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information about reported energy usage; characteristics of households etc.; unfortunately we cannot provide information that we do not hold.

You may however wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order to make it manageable. For example, you could specify the subject matter(s) of the information you are interested in or restrict your request to a specific business area of the Scottish Government, as this would allow us to limit the searches that would require to be conducted. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

An exception under regulation 10(4)(d) of the EIRs (unfinished or incomplete information) applies to some of the information you have requested because it is an unfinished document.

This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. We recognise that there is some public interest in release as part of open, transparent and accountable government. However, this is outweighed by the public interest in ensuring that unfinished or incomplete information is not disclosed when it might misinform the public or give a misleading impression of the Government’s view or position on the matter to which the information relates.

Where the information about programme delivery is available and not already published by the Scottish Government, I have included this in the tables attached to this letter, as it relates to your original request.

You also asked about the total amount spent on marketing and public relations (PR) directly by the Scottish Government and/or indirectly via the Energy Saving Trust (EST) to encourage and promote uptake of the above programmes 2024/25.

There was no direct spending upon marketing and PR by the Scottish Government in 2024/25 in respect of the four programmes, as referred to in your request.

Through the Heat in Buildings Workplan, administered by Energy Saving Trust, the Scottish Government spent £85,223.00 on marketing and PR in Financial Year 20245/25 towards the promotion of energy efficiency and clean heat programmes. This includes all the programmes referred to in your request.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

EIR 202500494158 - Information Released - Annex

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