Solar panels in Penicuik

Penicuik sits in Midlothian, so the planning authority is Midlothian Council. The national rules are the ones to read first.

You can usually put solar panels on your house without a planning application when they stick out by 1 metre or less from the wall or roof. You need to apply if the house is listed, in the grounds of a listed building, or in a World Heritage Site. In a conservation area, the panels go on the back of the house, or on a side that faces away from the road.

Scottish Government Circular 1/2024 (28 May 2024) · correct as of 3 October 2026

You can usually fit one air source heat pump on a house, a building that contains flats, or a flat, or in the grounds, without a planning application. You need to apply when it sticks out by more than 1 metre. In a conservation area it sits at ground floor on the back of the building. In the grounds it stays behind the front wall and behind a side wall that faces a road, and within 3 metres high. You need to apply in a World Heritage Site or in the grounds of a listed building. The unit is for heating or hot water at home, and it meets MCS 020 planning standards or an equivalent.

Scottish Government Circular 1/2024 (28 May 2024) · correct as of 3 October 2026

The same national rules cover flats. Solar on a flat follows the solar rules, and a heat pump follows the heat pump rules. In a conservation area, or in the grounds of a listed building, other changes to the outside of a flat need a planning application.

Circular 1/2024, flats · correct as of 3 October 2026

Midlothian's published householder guidance covers dormer windows and rear extensions to single storey terraces and semi-detached houses. Solar and heat pump placement for a Penicuik house follows the national rules.

Midlothian planning advice · correct as of 3 October 2026

The workshop is at Unit 2b Eastfield Industrial Estate, Penicuik, EH26 8HA. That address is the workshop. A job is still a survey of the home, then a quote for the materials and labour. Read solar panels, heat pumps, grants, and the Midlothian page. 0% VAT on solar installs until 31 March 2027. Home Energy Scotland can pay a grant of up to £7,500 towards a heat pump, and you can add an optional interest-free loan of £7,500.

VAT Notice 708/6 · Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan · correct as of 3 October 2026