How we heat our homes will be at the forefront of the drive towards net zero.
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After all, according to the Scottish Government, heating accounts for over 50% of Scotland’s total energy use and is the largest source of carbon emissions in the country.
Add to that the fact that around 80% of Scottish homes still rely on fossil fuel heating, primarily gas boilers, and we can see how reliant we are.
Under Scottish Government targets all homes will need to decarbonise by 2045.
So growing clean heat that produces little to no carbon emissions is a vital part of achieving net-zero targets.
As Doreen Reid, a specialist in energy transition at Scottish Enterprise, says: “If we are to meet our net-zero targets, we have to move away from fossil fuels. It has to be done.”
Importantly, the transition to clean heat presents a significant opportunity and Scottish Enterprise is helping businesses across the country take advantage of it.
What is clean heat?
Clean heat refers to energy efficient, low emission heating systems that reduce reliance on fossil fuels. It includes equipment and delivery systems, such as heat pumps, heat networks, and their components, as well as supportive solutions such as energy storage.
It also covers enabling solutions, such as digital and smart controls, and sources of fossil fuel-free energy, including mine water, geothermal energy, and waste heat.
Scotland is in a particularly strong position to drive growth in clean heat with our access to renewable energy and emerging innovations in heat networks.
The sector already contributes £1.6 billion annually to the economy, with 8,300 direct jobs across 470 companies.
But the clean heat transition could generate thousands of new jobs, particularly in manufacturing, engineering and .
What can Scottish Enterprise do to promote growth in clean heat?
Scottish Enterprise has a range of services and programmes that can either help companies onto the clean heat ladder or develop their involvement.
Assistance is available with investment and funding. This can involve areas such as early-stage innovation funding or putting businesses in touch with angel investors.
It can also offer commercialisation support and conduct feasibility studies. The agency has put together a range of manufacturing factsheets that allow firms to see how their skills and services can tie in to the existing clean heat opportunities. These include documents on heat generation, heat network distribution, heat in properties, technology enabler, building energy efficiency and energy centre construction.
On top of that, it specialises in collaboration and networking with programmes and events that bring businesses together to share knowledge and opportunities.
Doreen said: “We’re very good at bringing people together, which is incredibly powerful and often underestimated. We are a trusted, honest broker – we look at the evidence and the economic impact rather than advocating for one technology over another.”
Clean heat initiatives run by Scottish Enterprise
Clean Heat Accelerator: One initiative provided by Scottish Enterprise is the Clean Heat Accelerator. This five-month training course is designed to support ambitious businesses involved in the clean heat sector.
It builds networks through regular online workshops and in-person events. Participants are matched with clean heat and low carbon innovation experts, who can help them develop commercialisation plans and introduce them to relevant industry contacts.
HeatSource: This is a collaborative knowledge hub exploring opportunities in low carbon heat; bringing together knowledge, partners and resources in order to help ready the sector for net zero targets.
Clean Heat 2025: Scottish Enterprise’s Clean Heat event brings together public, private, and third-sector organisations to share their knowledge and showcase the opportunities that exist within the sector.
Last year’s event brought together 300 attendees, 30 exhibitors, and 31 speakers from across the clean heat supply chain.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government’s Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy said: “It was one of the best conferences I’ve been too in a long time! LHEES seemed to generate a lot of discussion over lunch – which was fantastic”.
A representative of energy efficiency firm Simply Save it added: “The day was very productive for us. I was able to introduce EndoTherm to many organisations who were previously unaware of us and who are now interested in a follow-up meeting.”
The 2025 event in Glasgow is already sold out but content will be shared after the event so that those that can’t make it on the day will benefit from the knowledge being shared.
Clean Heat Factsheets: A series of new Clean Heat Factsheets has recently been launched to help businesses understand the manufacturing components used in the sector. The factsheets will provide insights on manufacturing and fabrication, information on key market opportunities and help for businesses looking to enter or expand within the sector.
Examples of clean heat success
The Queens Quay Heat Network in Glasgow is a ground-breaking project that uses water source heat pumps to extract renewable heat from the River Clyde. The two 2.65 MW thermal output heat pumps are powered purely by electricity and provide at least 80% of the heat to the network users.
A total of 5km of underground pipes is used to transfer heat from the energy centre to customers.
The scheme will generate long-term sources of revenue for West Dunbartonshire Council through heat sales to users of the network. The project cost £14.5M in capital expenditure with the Scottish Government funded Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme providing just under £6M in grant funding.
Rising to the challenge
Making the switch to clean heat is vital but there are obstacles along the way. Glasgow alone requires circa £5 billion to successfully build clean heat networks. The figure for Edinburgh is £4bn.
So, to ensure the transition goes ahead there will need to be investor confidence and a growing consumer demand.
As Doreen said: “We need to make the transition easier for businesses and households, ensuring people have the confidence to make the switch.”
For that to happen there will have to be consistent government policy and strong financial support. Increasing public awareness of the benefits, affordability and necessity of the clean heat will also be vital. Meanwhile, continued technological innovation will help speed the process along.
But with the advantages Scotland holds in the renewables sector and Scottish Enterprise’s expertise helping firms come together, there is huge potential for success.
For more information on how to get involved with the clean heat transition visit Scottish Enterprise’s website.
Conversation