New Build Heat Standard (amended) 2024: island communities impact assessment

5. Consultation and affected groups

5.1. The ICIA prepared for the introduction of the NBHS remains largely unchanged. However, as part of the review we engaged with a range of stakeholders in order to explore options for regulatory amendment to address concerns raised after the Standard’s implementation. We held a total of the five stakeholder workshops as well as two Ministerial roundtables and a number of one-to-one engagements to discuss the options for regulatory amendment, outlined earlier in this paper. Two of these workshops and one ministerial roundtable specifically focused on rural and island communities.

5.2. This addendum has been prepared to ensure the evidence heard as part of these workshops, and received in the course of the review, is properly considered.

5.3. We recognise that Scotland is home to a diverse range of islands which have varying levels of access to people, goods and services. This is affected by what is available on the island and by the ferry connections the island has access to. Islands within the same region or local authority area can be very different from each other^[2]. To help us understand these differences better and appropriately reflect them in any proposals, we sought to engage a wide range of communities via the Scottish Islands Federation which promotes the interests and sustainability of Scotland’s Island communities. A list of the stakeholders who attended the workshops - all from organisations and communities with a specific focus on island and rural issues - is presented in Annex A.

5.4. Island and rural community stakeholders were asked the following specific questions as part of the workshops:

i. Does the availability of peat or biomass vary across the islands? If bioenergy or peat were to be permitted could these be sourced locally?

ii. Are there any specific benefits to allowing peat or biomass for heat on the islands?

a. could it help alleviate fuel poverty?

b. could it provide resilience when electricity supply fails or is not sufficient?

c. are there local skills to support the maintenance of peat or biomass heating systems? Are there local skills to support the maintenance of ‘clean heating’ systems?

iii. Are there any negative impacts from allowing peat or biomass for heat on the islands?

a. Air quality?