UKGBC responds to the Scottish Heat and Buildings Strategy

The Scottish Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for how it plans to drive the energy efficiency of buildings up, while ratcheting down the carbon impacts of their heating systems, creating economic opportunities and ensuring a just transition to net zero. This strategy comes out ahead of COP26, whilst we still wait on a UK–wide strategy from central government.  

Simon McWhirter, Director of Communications, Policy and Places at UKGBC said:

“We welcome the release of the Scottish Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, which clearly identifies the areas and actions which need to be central to the successful decarbonisation of Scotland’s building stock.  

The industry needs long-term certainty and clarity over the trajectory it needs to follow in order to draw in supportive investment, and the Strategy rightly recognises this though the commitment to bring forward a framework of regulations for all tenures and building types. It’s great to see real ambition riven through elements of the strategy, including the investment of £1.8 billion over the course of the Parliament, and plans create a Green Heat Finance Taskforce before the end of this year. These will help unlock some of the tricky issues which have historically hobbled concerted action to decarbonise at pace and at scale. Likewise plans to develop a Supply Chain Delivery Plan with the sector are a particularly welcome step in ensuring the industry can develop the capacity deliver.  

There is clearly much more to do if the goals of the Strategy are to be realised, including the provision of even greater concentration on the required skills and training improvements, and the deployment of broader financial incentives. Whilst the Strategy rightly recognises the importance of a just transition and supporting those less able to pay, more work will be needed to encourage those more able to pay– a crucial hurdle to overcome in decarbonising all of Scotland’s homes. We therefore welcome plans to consult on further proposals in this area.    

The release of the Scottish Government’s plans now turns up the heat on the Westminster Government to deliver its own, long-awaited UK Heat and Buildings Strategy. We hope the UK Government brings forward a long-term National Retrofit Strategy, backed by sufficient funding and key financial incentives in order to meet the challenge.” 

Read the Scottish Heating and Buildings Strategy here.

This strategy is also released as UKGBC increases its programmes and reach in Scotland. More information about this will come during COP26. 

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