Energy Efficient Scotland: consultation on further development of the programme

Introduction

Background

Over its 20 year lifetime Energy Efficient Scotland will make our buildings warmer, greener and more efficient - supporting efforts towards eradicating fuel poverty, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as contributing to sustainable economic growth. Energy Efficient Scotland brings together a programme of work to improve the energy efficiency of Scotland's buildings and to decarbonise their heat supply.

Over its lifespan, we estimate that investment of £10-12 billion of public and private funding will be required. This will help create a substantial Scottish market and supply chain for energy efficiency services and technologies.We estimate that for every £100 million spent on energy efficiency improvements in 2018 approximately 1,200 full-time equivalent jobs were supported across the Scottish economy.

Our Route Map to an Energy Efficient Scotland published in May 2018, sets out a pathway to realising this vision and the actions we will take over the next 20 years. These actions will build on our existing, well established and successful domestic and non-domestic energy efficiency schemes, such as the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland, the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Loan Scheme and the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Loan Scheme.

They also include proposals to introduce a framework of standards, which will be phased in gradually over the lifetime of the programme, helping to make it the norm to invest in energy efficiency. For Scotland's homes, this phased approach will allow property owners to plan in advance for upgrades, give certainty to the Scottish supply chain so that they can invest in and grow their businesses, and allow Scotland to reap the economic benefits of the programme.

This consultation

If we can do things faster then of course we will. This consultation therefore seeks to gather evidence which could support a change to the proposed timeframe to deliver standards for all properties across Scotland in an achievable and realistic way. For example by considering how possible uncertainties associated with an accelerated programme of target setting and implementation can be overcome. This document also sets out the suite of legislation that we will bring forward to support delivery of Energy Efficient Scotland; seeks views on the recommendations of the Short Life Working Group on Skills and Supply Chain; and explores what additional incentives could be put in place to support growth of the district heating market. It is split into five parts:

• In Part 1, we respond to earlier consultations on the legislative requirements for Energy Efficient Scotland and set out the suite of legislation that we will bring forward to support delivery and underpin the programme.
• In Part 2, we explore alternative time horizons for the long-term domestic energy efficiency target, seeking views on whether Energy Efficient Scotland can be accelerated and if so, how the risks of doing so can be overcome.
• In Part 3, we propose to build on work to bring forward regulations that would require landlords in the private rented sector to ensure their properties meet EPC Band E from April 2020, increasing to EPC Band D from April 2022 by suggesting that all properties in the private rented sector should reach EPC Band C from 2025 when there is a change in tenancy.
• In Part 4, we outline the recommendations made by the industry-led Quality Assurance Short Life Working Group and seek views on the approach being proposed.
• In Part 5, we are seeking views on possible additional actions that the Scottish Government could take to support the development and expansion of district heating networks in Scotland.

This consultation builds on earlier consultations on energy efficiency and fuel poverty including, amongst others: the Consultation on Scotland's Energy Efficiency Programme; Energy Efficiency and Condition Standards in the Private Rented Sector; the Fuel Poverty Strategy Consultation; Energy Efficient Scotland Consultation: Making our homes and buildings warmer, greener and more efficient; the Consultation on the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing post-2020 (EESSH2); and our two consultations on Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies and the Regulation of Heat Networks.

Next Steps

Following the consultation we will analyse and respond to the responses received. The feedback will inform further development of the Energy Efficient Scotland Programme and future updates of the Route Map, which we will next issue in the autumn of 2019.