Heat in Buildings: progress report 2025

Context and purpose

Our Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in 2021, set out the Scottish Government’s programme to deliver our climate targets by reducing our dependence on gas and oil for heating our homes and other buildings. There is a requirement under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to report annually on progress against the strategy, which this report fulfils. Last year’s progress report was laid in Parliament on 10 October 2024.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy included a commitment to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. We published the initial Framework in November 2023 to fulfil that commitment, and this document reports against that Framework.

Since we published the Heat in Buildings Strategy, the global and political context has changed considerably. The reality of higher energy prices and fuel poverty rates has meant reassessing our ambitions to ensure that they remain fair and achievable. However, our key target of transitioning our buildings to clean heating systems where possible and practicable – and meeting net zero by 2045 – remains.

We have been collaborating with the UK Government on areas of common ground in delivering net zero. We will continue to press the UK Government to use its reserved powers to accelerate the transition, including rebalancing gas and electricity prices, which would result in clean heating systems costing less to run.

This report aligns with other Framework reporting including the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan Monitoring Report. The Framework will also align and support the current development of a robust outcomes-focused Monitoring and Evaluation framework for the Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy.

We acknowledge that bold and swift action to reduce emissions from the sector will be required, but we must take a positive and fair approach that supports a just transition.

Our forthcoming draft Climate Change Plan will summarise the proposals and policies for meeting the Scottish carbon budget targets to 2040. A revised Heat in Buildings Strategy and Delivery Plan will follow, and as part of which we expect to say more on future reporting of progress.