Heat transition: public engagement strategic framework

Chapter 3: Our Strategic Approach to 2045

Context

The approach set out in this chapter builds on our overarching Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change, which was published in 2021^[3]. It has been developed using the insights and contributions provided through different consultations and through our earlier Call for Evidence on Public Engagement. It has also been influenced by the findings of the Climate Assembly.

Consumer research into the experiences and attitudes of different groups have also been undertaken, with findings helping to further inform the development of this strategic framework.

Strategic Engagement Framework

As already noted, public engagement will be critical to realising our ambitions to upgrade the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes by 2033 and switch all our buildings to clean heating systems by 2045. Here we set out in more detail our strategic engagement framework:

It is structured around three delivery pillars and ten associated objectives/actions:

• Understand: people and organisations are aware of and understand the changes we need to make and know how to access support.
• Participate: people and organisations can actively participate in shaping Scottish Government policy, legislation and delivery schemes and have opportunities to learn from each other.
• Act: people and organisations take action to install clean heating systems and upgrade energy efficiency, which are becoming normalised across society.

These delivery pillars and associated actions will be guided by the following principles:

• Partnership Led: we will work collaboratively with partners and trusted messengers to design, develop and implement actions to strengthen public engagement.
• People Centred: we will design and deliver engagement activities that take into account and are tailored to, the needs of our diverse population.
• Place Based: we will ensure messaging and engagement activities are relevant to local contexts and circumstances as informed by Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies.

Delivery Pillars

We will use these three delivery pillars (Understand, Participate, Act) to structure and guide delivery under this strategic framework. We have identified proposed actions to meet the outcome for each delivery pillar. These are all set out in Table 2 below.

Applying the Guiding Principles

Here we outline how the three principles will be applied in practice:

• Partnership-led
• People-centred
• Place Based

Partnership-led

We will work collaboratively with key partners and trusted messengers to design, develop and implement actions to strengthen and expand public engagement.

The lone voice of the Scottish Government, or any other single organisation, is not enough to change and shape public opinion, awareness and attitudes on energy efficiency and clean heating systems.

Research published in 2023 by ClimateXChange^[4] showed that multiple different sources of information and advice will be relied upon by people as they move through the consumer journey towards the adoption of clean heating systems. Figure 1 below shows these findings in more detail and illustrates the wide range of trusted messengers people will turn to for advice on installing clean heating systems.

There is a wide range of sources of advice that people are likely to turn to when seeking advice on clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures. It shows that people have a particular preference for information from energy industry organisations. As such, each step to strengthen public engagement will need to be a joint endeavour between the public, private and third sectors.

People-Centred

We will design and deliver engagement activities that take into account and are tailored to, the needs of our diverse population

Upgrading the energy efficiency of our homes and switching to clean heating systems will touch all our lives. It will therefore be imperative that we place people at the centre of this transition.

We will continue to conduct research to understand how switching to clean heating systems and improving energy efficiency will affect different groups of people. We will prioritise and target those likely to be most affected by the changes and ensure our messaging is tailored to different audiences and available in accessible formats and across multiple channels.

We will promote opportunities for people and organisations to become actively involved in shaping the policy, legislation, delivery plans and schemes to ensure they deliver real-world benefits for individuals and communities, tackling inequality and injustice along the way.

Switching to clean heating systems and improving energy efficiency is something that people and organisations are already doing. These early adopters can be advocates helping to change opinions and attitudes by sharing their stories and experiences.

We will take steps to enable people and organisations to learn from each other to explore the feasibility and benefits of switching to a clean heating system. We will do this by increasing access to case studies and peer-to-peer communication and learning.

Place Based

We will ensure our messaging and engagement activities are relevant to local contexts and circumstances – as informed by Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies and Delivery Plans.

Clean heat, and to an extent energy efficiency, are inherently local. The technologies and deployment pathways will differ between buildings and between areas influenced by a range of factors including a property’s age, whether it has repair or condition issues, the type of building, e.g., flat, detached house, etc., and density of the neighbourhood.

Local Authorities are currently developing Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies, which will identify suitable areas suitable for heat networks as well as areas where individual heat pumps and energy efficiency measures should be deployed. In time these strategies will begin to guide delivery activities and have an important role to play in decisions on what type of clean heating system to switch to. These plans, once adopted, will help us and the local government better design and target our collective engagement activities to address the needs and concerns of different audiences.

We will continue to work with local authorities and with our national network of local community action hubs to explore what can be done to strengthen local action and grassroots activity.

Strategic Public Engagement Delivery Partnership

People and organisations are already taking action to upgrade energy efficiency and switch to clean heating systems. In recent years we have seen more public discussion and promotion of clean heating systems, including heat pumps and heat networks. Several different stakeholders are contributing to this debate, including central and local government, energy retail companies, manufacturers of clean heating and fossil fuel heating systems, installers, etc.

Alongside this discussion is a wide range of engagement activities, being taken forward by several different organisations, at both a national and local level. It will be important that we build on, strengthen and expand existing engagement activities, at both a national and local level. Feedback to our earlier Call for Evidence recommended that public engagement and messaging should be better coordinated and done collaboratively.

As indicated previously, we will establish a Strategic Public Engagement Delivery Partnership. It will provide leadership and coordination of public engagement on the heat transition in Scotland across stakeholders and partners.

The Partnership will support planning and the rollout of engagement activities on the ground, as well as developing and coordinating messaging and outreach. It will support learning and the development of good practice and members will be able to leverage each other’s expertise, experience, and skills. Members will actively contribute and share in the delivery of engagement activities, helping to ensure that people and organisations can interact with the organisations they trust most.

We will co-design the Partnership with stakeholders during 2024 to ensure shared ownership. We will build the Partnership, including its structure, functions and membership on the existing good work being driven by several organisations across sectors.

Given the scale and scope of impact of the heat transition across both domestic and non-domestic buildings to 2045, the Partnership will need to expand and evolve over time. This will mean ensuring that its membership evolves so that it continues to reflect the diversity of building owners who will need to be engaged.

The Partnership will initially prioritise owner-occupiers and private sector landlords, reflecting the proposed sequencing of regulatory backstop dates for energy efficiency and clean heat and the need to quickly raise awareness of the need to act.