More than 30,000 solar panels, heat pumps and other renewable energy technologies were installed across the nation last year, according to figures from the MCS Foundation database of registered installations.

Scottish Government grants for homeowners and social landlords will have helped drive this success, alongside the advice provided by Home Energy Scotland.

In 2020, before the current Scottish Government came into power, the total number of MCS-certified renewable installations was 12,573. In 2023, this had jumped to 32,449.

The vast majority of MCS installations registered last year were solar panels, at nearly 26,000. This is a 174% increase on 2020, when just over 9,000 certified solar panel installations were carried out.

Heat pump installations soared by 113% between 2020 and 2023, with grants of up to £9,000 available for installations.

Deployment of heat pumps will need to continue to accelerate rapidly to meet climate change targets and to reduce households reliance on fossil fuel heating, a key driver of the cost of living crisis.

Nearly one in ten Scottish households (8.23%) now have MCS-certified renewable energy in their homes, with more than 200,000 installations in total.

David Cowdrey, director of external affairs at the MCS Foundation, which compiled the figures, said: “Scottish households are leading the UK in renewable energy installations, and the record figures from 2023 show a very positive trajectory for solar panels and heat pumps.

“Scottish Government grants of up to £9,000 have helped to boost installations and get more households off polluting fossil fuels and onto cheaper and more efficient renewables.

“To reduce energy bills and tackle the climate crisis the rate of installations must continue to increase. This will need action from Westminster as well, to reduce the costs of electricity so that even more households can make savings on their energy bill by replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump.

Fabrice Leveque, climate and energy policy manager at WWF Scotland, said: “More and more households are turning to heat pumps and solar energy to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions. As well as grant funding, the Scottish Government must put in place long-term policies to phase out the use of fossil boilers, which is why it’s essential that the Heat in Buildings Bill is introduced this year to Parliament.”

Zero carbon buildings minister Patrick Harvie said: “This is welcome news and clear evidence of the growing awareness and appetite for renewable energy and clean heat in Scotland’s homes and buildings.

“Twenty per cent of Scotland’s carbon emissions come from heating our homes and buildings, so moving away from polluting heat is essential to achieve net zero by 2045.

“Scotland continues to offer the most generous package of grants and loans in the UK to support the move to clean heating.

“We know there is more work to do to reflect the surge in interest. That is why we’re currently seeking views on plans that represent an ambitious step-change for greener and warmer buildings in Scotland and we are committed to bringing forward a Heat in Buildings Bill during the current parliamentary session.”