Proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill: Consultation

Feedback updated 29 Jan 2026

We asked

A public consultation on the Heat in Buildings Bill ran from 28 November 2023 to 8 March 2024. It included 28 questions, which sought stakeholders’ views on various proposals that may be included in a Heat in Buildings Bill.

You said

The consultation on the Heat in Buildings Bill received over 1,600 responses, with a wide range of views expressed. While there was broad support for the ambition to decarbonise heating and improve energy efficiency, several key themes emerged:

Affordability and fairness: The most common concern was the potentially high cost of transitioning to clean heating and improving energy efficiency. Respondents emphasised the need for financial support, particularly for low-income households, rural communities, and those in traditional or hard-to-treat buildings.

Feasibility and flexibility: Many respondents highlighted the diversity of Scotland’s building stock and called for a flexible approach that recognises the limitations of certain property types, such as tenements, listed buildings, and off-gas-grid homes.

Impact on the housing market: There were mixed views on proposals to require heating system upgrades at the point of property sale. Some supported this as a logical trigger point, while others raised concerns about affordability and potential disruption to the housing market.

Support for heat networks: There was strong support for expanding heat networks, with respondents recognising their potential to reduce emissions and provide affordable heat. However, concerns were raised about consumer protection, infrastructure readiness, and the need for clear guidance on home energy efficiency.

Monitoring and enforcement: Respondents favoured a proportionate and supportive approach to enforcement, with many preferring incentives over penalties. There was also a call for reform of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) to ensure they are a reliable monitoring tool (proposals to reform EPCs were made in separate consultations which were responded to by the Scottish Government in January¹ and October² 2025).

Public sector leadership: There was general support for public authorities to lead by example, with many backing the proposal for all public buildings to use clean heating by 2038. However, concerns were noted about the cost and resource implications to public authorities of transitioning their buildings to clean heating and complying with new duties, with several raising a concern that being required to transition could lead to money being diverted from essential services or higher taxes.

We did

We have listened carefully to the feedback and made significant changes to the Bill to reflect the concerns raised:

A shift from a blanket prohibition to collective targets: In response to concerns about affordability and fairness, the Bill will not prohibit the use of polluting heating systems in individual homes or buildings. Instead, it will set a national target to decarbonise all buildings by 2045 and will place a duty on Ministers to publish a strategy setting out the actions they will take to meet this target.

A flexible approach to energy efficiency: The Bill will introduce powers to set minimum energy performance standards for all buildings with a polluting heating system in future regulations, allowing for exemptions and alternative compliance routes where appropriate. These would be targeted towards owner-occupied homes and non-domestic buildings. This ensures that the approach can be tailored to different building types and circumstances. Similar standards for private and social rented homes are being taken forward separately.

Support for heat networks: Building on strong stakeholder support, the Bill will include new powers to require buildings within heat network zones to connect or decarbonise. This will help attract investment and accelerate the rollout of low-carbon heat infrastructure. We expect future regulations to have a particular focus on public sector buildings, as an opportunity to reduce emissions and demonstrate leadership, where there is a clear and viable plan for a heat network.

New licensing powers: The Bill will introduce a voluntary Scottish installation and maintenance licence for heat networks, giving developers access to key rights and powers while aligning with the UK-wide regulatory framework.

Monitoring and reporting: Ministers will be required to publish and regularly update a heat decarbonisation strategy, including information on how progress will be monitored and reported. information on how progress will be monitored and reported.

Reform of EPC certificates: We have laid regulations which will introduce a new EPC rating system, redesigned certificates, and strengthened quality assurance oversight of the EPC assessor market, which we plan to bring into force in October 2026. The new certificates and ratings will help us to monitor progress in the Bill’s heat decarbonisation target and to underpin minimum energy efficiency standards.

Private Rented Sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (PRS MEES): We consulted between 6 June and 29 August 2025 on proposals for regulations introducing a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard for the domestic Private Rented Sector. The regulations would be brought forward under existing powers. The consultation proposed that all PRS properties would have to reach EPC Heat Retention Rating Band C before being let, unless exempt from further action. The consultation sought views on applying this to all new lets from 2028 and to all lets from 2033.

UK Government action: We continue to press the UK Government to rebalance gas and electricity prices to ensure that the running costs for clean heating systems are less than those of polluting systems. This would serve to make them more attractive and act as a positive incentive.

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Overview

Like many other countries, Scotland has a legal target to reach ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions. The way we heat our homes, workplaces and other buildings is the third-largest cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland. There is no way to meet our legal obligation to reach ‘net zero’ without changing the heating systems in the vast majority of our buildings.

The purpose of this consultation is to make you aware of our proposal to make new laws around the heating systems that can be used in homes and places of work, and to invite your views on those proposals.

We plan to:

reconfirm that the use of polluting heating systems will be prohibited after 2045; and
as a pathway to 2045, require those purchasing a home or business premises to end their use of polluting heating systems within a fixed period following completion of the sale
introduce a new law that will require homeowners to make sure that their homes meet a reasonable minimum energy efficiency standard by 2033
require private landlords to meet this minimum energy efficiency standard by 2028

The consultation describes our proposals for how home owners and landlords can meet this standard – either through installing a number of simple insulation and draught-proofing measures, where those are possible, or by meeting a certain level of heat demand. We will take all views received into account and adapt our proposals in a way that reflects those.

We know that meeting these requirements is a big task, particularly in the current context of an on-going cost of living crisis that shows no sign of abating in the near term. Our proposals take this into account – they are designed to apply where it is affordable, fair and feasible. We believe that our proposals to provide exemptions where needed ahead of 2045 will provide vital reassurance.

We know too that heat network operators may allow households and businesses to connect into their systems with no (or low) upfront costs. These systems may be attractive to many because they run in a very similar way to your existing gas boiler, and they can make use of local resources like the heat from data centres to provide affordable heating.

But heat networks need the local community to connect in large numbers, especially non-domestic buildings; that’s why in Chapter 4 we propose new laws that will require people and businesses to end their use of polluting heating when a heat network becomes available.

Read the consultation paper

The bill process: explained The bill process: explained

The Bill process explained:

1.

Consultation: The government will publish its plans and ideas, to understand the level of support they have from the public (especially those most-affected).

The consultation document also allows people who may support the overall intent of the plans, to suggest changes to points of detail.

This is the stage that the Heat in Buildings Bill is at.

2.

Introduction: The government will draft a Bill, based on the ideas presented during consultation, and possibly adapted based on any feedback it may have received.

The draft Bill is ‘laid’ in Parliament, alongside the government’s analysis of the financial and other impacts of the Bill.

3.

Stage 1: The Scottish Parliament Committee with most-interest in the Bill will consider the Bill. It will invite experts to give their views on the Bill, and it may undertake its own consultation. The Scottish Government will also speak to the Committee about the need for the Bill, and the proposals it makes.

The Committee will provide a Report, summarising its views on the Bill, before a vote takes place on the Bill in the Scottish Parliament chamber. This vote is to determine if MSPs support the ‘general principles’ of the Bill – i.e. what it is trying to achieve, as opposed to the specifics of how it will achieve its aims.

4.

Stage 2: Should the Scottish Parliament agree to the general principles of the Bill at Stage 1, it will proceed to Stage 2 where MSPs who sit on the Committee can propose changes to the Bill (amendments).

If an amendment is supported by a majority of Committee members, it is passed, and the Bill is changed. The Scottish Government may also make amendments to the Bill at this Stage – for example, in response to feedback from the Committee’s Report at Stage 1.

5.

Stage 3: Once all Stage 2 amendments have been considered, the Bill is re-printed to reflect any changes that were agreed.

The Bill then moves on to Stage 3, where a final vote on the Bill takes place in the Scottish Parliament chamber. If the Bill receives a majority vote (in most cases), it will become law. If it does not receive a majority vote, it will not become law.

6.

Royal Assent: If the Bill is passed, it must receive Royal Assent from the King. This usually takes place within four weeks of Stage 3, and officially makes a Bill an ‘Act of the Scottish Parliament’.

7.

Regulations: New laws do not necessarily take effect when they are passed by the Scottish Parliament at Stage 3, nor when they receive Royal Assent.

Many Acts need ‘secondary legislation’ or ‘regulations’ before they can take effect. This is often because the legislation would be too long or detailed to include in the Act itself, or because changes to laws need to take place quickly without the need to go through the various steps set out above.

In the case of the Heat in Buildings Bill, secondary legislation may be needed, for example, to specify the measures which will form the minimum energy efficiency standard or to say which people may be exempt from the need to meet the Heat in Buildings Standard.

Any secondary legislation or regulations that may be needed in future, would be subject to further consultation.

Useful information about responding to this consultation Useful information about responding to this consultation

As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.

Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.

On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.

After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.

An analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us. You can also join our consulation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).

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