Solar panels in West Lothian

West Lothian's householder planning page points to the Scottish Government guidance on householder planning published in 2024.

West Lothian householder planning · correct as of 3 October 2026

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

Where the existing roof can carry the extra load, solar panels on a single or two storey house are warrant-free. A building warrant is required when that roof needs strengthening. Alterations to flats and maisonettes need a building warrant. Planning permission and a building warrant are separate checks.

West Lothian building standards · 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 The workshop is Unit 2b Eastfield Industrial Estate, Penicuik, EH26 8HA. Quotes follow a survey of the roof or the heating system, with materials and labour written down before the install. See [[/services/solar-panels|solar panels]], [[/services/heat-pumps|heat pumps]], and [[/grants|the grants guide]]. 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. 0% VAT on the install until 31 March 2027. · Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan · VAT Notice 708/6 · correct as of 3 October 2026