Heat in buildings strategy: strategic environmental assessment

8. Monitoring

8.1.1 Section 19 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act (2005) requires the responsible authority to monitor significant environmental effects of the implementation of the PPS. This should be done in a way to enable them to take appropriate remedial action, where applicable.

8.1.2 A wide range of existing programmes have associated monitoring in place at the national level. For example, Energy Efficient Scotland^[99] contains monitoring and evaluation measures which will be used throughout its lifetime to make sure we are on track to achieve its vision, aims and objectives.

8.1.3 In addition the Annual Energy Statement reports^[100] and the Annual compendium of Scottish energy statistics^[101] on progress towards the targets outlined in the 2017 Scottish Energy Strategy^[102]. This includes reporting on heat demand, main sources of heat and the amount of renewable heat generated annually.

8.1.4 Building on these existing monitoring arrangements, a monitoring and evaluation framework will also be published alongside the finalised Heat in Buildings Strategy. It is proposed that this will focus on monitoring the impact the transition to warmer, greener and more affordable homes and buildings has on people and communities. It is anticipated that it will set out:

• a comprehensive framework covering homes, work places, public sector buildings and other non-domestic buildings; and
• a range of output and outcome indicators, linked to our outcomes, to inform an annual statement of progress, taking account of the Climate Change Plan monitoring framework, monitoring and evaluation requirements for Fuel Poverty as required by the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) Act 2019.

8.1.5 It is proposed that monitoring for significant environmental effects is an integral part of this framework.