Building regulations - energy and environmental standards: consultation on proposed changes

Ministerial foreword

In recent years, changes to energy standards within our building regulations have continued to deliver significant improvements to the new buildings we construct in Scotland, helping us to meet both our climate change and fuel poverty targets. Changes to energy standards introduced in 2023 have resulted in a more than 80% reduction in emissions compared to standards in force in 1990. This has been achieved through a focus on reducing energy demand through measures such as improved fabric insulation.

The introduction of the New Build Heat Standard in April 2024 brought about further change meaning that new buildings must no longer use ‘direct emission heating systems’.

However, we must continue to consider the need and opportunity to deliver further improvement, which is why I welcome this current review in response to Alex Rowley MSP’s 2022 Bill Proposal. It is not often we are challenged to compare our national standards against a best practice voluntary standard, one that has been delivering very low energy buildings for over thirty years. We must continue to learn from such standards to improve the energy efficiency and occupant comfort of our new buildings and to increase assurance on their performance in practice.

This is why we commenced our review of energy standards at the start of 2023 to investigate what a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard might be. To continue to find improvements in the way we set energy and environmental standards, that lead to buildings that need less energy to run and are healthier for all. Improving targets is not enough. We must introduce a step change in the way we design and construct our new buildings so we can have greater assurance that compliance with our standards is achieved in practice.

I am aware of the current economic climate and that this government has acknowledged we are in a housing emergency. Which is why it is essential we identify practical solutions, both for when we introduce further of change and the level of improvement across the whole of Scotland for every new building constructed. Changes that we introduce must bring with them a clear benefit, be deliverable at scale and be balanced against the broader needs of everyone in Scotland.

I thank those who have engaged in this review so far and I thank you for taking the time to consider this consultation. It provides an exciting opportunity for you to influence the future design of our buildings and I would like to encourage as wide a range of responses as possible. I have the pleasure in inviting you to respond.

Paul McLennan MSP

Minister for Housing