Scottish Government invests £1.8 billion to cut emissions from homes and buildings

The Heat in Buildings Strategy plans to increase the number of renewable heating systems to improve the energy performance of buildings and help cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Home emissions currently account for a fifth of all of Scotland’s emissions, and the strategy aims to cut these emissions by over two thirds by 2030.

To do so, one million homes and the equivalent of 50,000 non-domestic buildings will be converted into zero emissions heat by 2030.

Ahead of the Strategy’s launch, Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie visited the NG Homes project in Springburn, Glasgow. The project, with £9 million in funding, is expected to save more than 650 households up to 60% in energy bills.

Mr Harvie said: “The ambition set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy is significant, and rightly so on the eve of COP26 coming to Glasgow. Urgent action is needed if we are to stand a chance of limiting warming to under 1.5 degrees.”

“This Strategy sets out the guiding principles that will ensure our actions to decarbonise heat do not have a detrimental impact on rates of fuel poverty and instead serve to tackle social inequalities.”

“Our Strategy commits to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, and to consult on introducing new legislation and regulations to underpin this transition and ambitious investment programme, but equivalent action from the UK Government in reserved areas, such as on energy pricing, will be essential to deliver these commitments.”

“It is essential that homes and buildings achieve a good standard of energy efficiency and by 2033 we want to see all homes meeting at least an EPC band C standard where feasible and cost effective. This will help ensure energy costs in future are affordable and that our actions continue to remove poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty.”

A new Green Heat Finance Task Force will be established to accelerate the rate properties convert to green and more energy efficient solutions. This transition to net zero heat could support 16,400 jobs in 2030.