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Heat pump · Glasgow

Heat pumps in Glasgow: what works for tenements and what works for houses

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Your request: Heat pump

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Grants may apply – the business takes them into account in the quote.

Project

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Do you own the property? (required)
What type of building is it? (required)
Year the building was built (required)
m²
Current heating system (required)
How is heat distributed? (required)
When should the work start? (required)
Approximate budget (required)
Would you like to use grants or subsidies? (required)

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Where is the project?

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In Glasgow the type of home decides almost everything about a heat pump. A semi in Bearsden or a bungalow on the south side can usually take an air source unit much like a house in England. A tenement flat in the West End, with a shared back court, co-owners and a one-unit-per-building planning rule, is a different project altogether. This page covers both under Scotland's own rules. Your request goes to exactly one installer.

  • Exactly one business. Your request is handed out once. After that, no other business sees it.
  • You know who will be in touch. Before the business receives your contact details, we send you its name, address and phone number.
  • Withdraw at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time – using the link in our email.

Glasgow

Region
Scotland
Population
650,300 (Source: ONS)

Planning in Glasgow works differently from England

A Glasgow house or flat is covered by Scottish planning law. The relevant permission for heat pumps is Class 6H of the Scottish General Permitted Development Order, which the Scottish Government explains in its 2024 circular on householder rights. On a semi or detached house with a garden, the conditions are rarely a problem: keep the unit within a metre of the wall, away from road-facing frontages if it stands in the garden, and below 3 metres if free-standing, and make sure it passes the MCS noise check.

Where people in Glasgow get caught out is copying advice written for England. The cubic-metre size rule and the 'two units on a detached house' rule found on English websites do not apply here.

Source: planningportal.co.uk

Tenement closes and back courts

Scottish permitted development allows a single air source heat pump per building. A sandstone tenement with eight flats is one building, so once a neighbour on the close has a unit, your own needs a full planning application. The back court is often common property under the title deeds, the external walls are shared 'scheme property' under the Tenement Management Scheme, and the deeds or that scheme govern decisions about them. Getting a majority, or unanimous, agreement can take longer than the installation.

That is why many Glasgow installers suggest looking at the whole close together, or at alternatives such as air-to-air units for individual flats, before pricing a conventional air-to-water system.

  • is it a house or a flat in a tenement
  • does any other flat in the building already have a heat pump
  • who owns the back court or wall where the unit would go
  • is the building listed or in a conservation area
  • where a hot water cylinder could go in the flat

Source: gov.scot

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Conservation areas

Glasgow has conservation areas across the city, including much of the West End. In a conservation area, a heat pump on the building is only permitted development at ground floor level on the rear elevation. Upper-floor flats in a conservation area therefore almost always need a planning application for a wall-mounted unit.

Grants and loans

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not available in Scotland. Home Energy Scotland offers homeowners in Glasgow a grant with an optional interest-free loan for air, ground and water source heat pumps, and separate grants for insulation, which can make a heat pump smaller and cheaper to run. Funding is first come, first served. Installing a heat pump in a home is currently zero-rated for VAT.

Source: homeenergyscotland.org

Your Glasgow request

Tell us whether it is a house or a flat, the floor, how it is heated now and whether you own it. We pass the request without your name or contact details to heat pump installers covering Glasgow, and one of them can buy it. We then email you the installer's name, address and phone number before it sees your details. There is no cost to you.

Grants in the United Kingdom

These schemes may apply to your project. What counts are the provider's conditions at the time you apply.

  • 0 % VAT on energy-saving materials (VAT Notice 708/6)

    HM Revenue & Customs

    The installation of energy-saving materials in homes – including insulation, draught stripping, heating controls, solar panels, air, ground and water source heat pumps and batteries – is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the reduced rate of 5% applies. Windows and glazing are standard-rated.

    Source: www.gov.uk · As of 09.2026

  • Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan

    Scottish Government, über Home Energy Scotland

    Grant and optional interest-free loan for homeowners in Scotland: up to £7,500 grant plus £7,500 loan for air, ground or water source heat pumps, and grants for insulation (e.g. up to £7,500 for solid wall, £1,500 for loft, cavity and underfloor insulation). Rural and island homes can receive an extra £1,500; funding is first come, first served.

    Source: www.homeenergyscotland.org · As of 09.2026

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Frequently asked questions

Can I put a heat pump on my tenement flat in Glasgow?

Sometimes, but only one air source heat pump per building is permitted development in Scotland. If another flat already has one, or the building is in a conservation area and your flat is above ground floor, you will need planning permission, and co-owners' agreement for shared walls or the back court.

Who has to agree before a unit goes in the back court?

Usually the other owners in the tenement, because the back court is often common property under the title deeds. Your solicitor or the factor can tell you what the deeds or the tenement management scheme require.

Does the English 1.5 cubic metre rule apply in Glasgow?

No. Scotland has its own conditions under Class 6H, such as the 1 metre protrusion limit and the one-unit-per-building rule.

Source: gov.scot · planningportal.co.uk

Is an air-to-air heat pump an option for a flat?

It can be, where a wet system is impractical. It heats rooms but not hot water, so you need another way to heat water. Check Home Energy Scotland's current eligibility for the specific type.

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