Heat transition: public engagement strategic framework

Chapter 4: Building Readiness for Change 2023-26

This section sets out our priorities over the next 3 years. Our priority will be to lay strong foundations for the rollout of clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures and to develop early public understanding ahead of proposed regulations coming into force.

Current Awareness and Understanding

Levels of understanding of and interest in clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures vary across different audiences. For these reasons, it will be important that we ensure our engagement activities have a broad reach but allow for tailoring to ensure people receive the right messaging at the right time.

The factors influencing current attitudes to clean heating systems and energy efficiency are complex and varied. Some overarching trends can be drawn from the existing evidence base, summarised in Annex A, on the attitudes towards and understanding of clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures. We know that:

• People place a lot of importance on the need to tackle climate change.
• There is a degree of understanding that this means changing how we heat and use energy in our homes and buildings.
• Many people remain unclear about the contribution that existing fossil fuel heating systems make to climate change.
• A reasonable number of people have some level of awareness of clean heating systems, such as heat pumps, but a significant proportion lack any familiarity; and
• A significant proportion of the public is currently not inclined to take action to switch to clean heating systems in the coming years.

Our planned early engagement activities are informed by these general insights as well as wider stakeholder feedback gathered during the development of this strategic framework.

Applying the Framework

Informed by our baseline understanding and stakeholder feedback, we have developed a package of engagement interventions structured around our three delivery pillars.

Delivery Pillar: Understand

Marketing and Communications

We need to build a strong foundation of public understanding of the importance of switching to clean heating systems and upgrading energy efficiency measures, including the benefits they can deliver. We must also support people to access accurate and up to date information on clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures. And we need to promote awareness of our funding and advice that is available to building and property owners.

For a number of years, we have run an annual Home Energy Scotland^[5] marketing campaign promoting the support that is on offer and calling on people to contact Home Energy Scotland for further advice. Each year this has successfully helped to increase awareness of Home Energy Scotland and boosted enquiries.

We are running a series of campaigns to raise awareness of and promote switching to, clean heating systems. Our approach is focused on three campaign strands:

1. Building climate literacy across the general public through increasing awareness of the link between fossil fuel heating and climate change – we will achieve this through our established Let’s Do Net Zero Campaign, encouraging people to find out more about the heat transition by accessing the Net Zero Nation website.

2. Promoting the adoption of clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures amongst potential early adopters – we will achieve this through a new hyper-targeted campaign that seeks to position heat pumps as aspirational and encourages people to contact our frontline energy advice service, Home Energy Scotland.

3. Supporting people in fuel poverty to access free and impartial advice and support through contacting our frontline energy advice service, Home Energy Scotland

It is our aspiration to run a multi-stranded campaign on a regular basis and will do so, subject to budget availability. To ensure that we build on learning as we go, we will continue to evaluate all campaign activities to understand their effectiveness and feed insights into future campaigns to optimise their reach and impact.

Build on and improve existing engagement activities

Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland,^[6] funded by the Scottish Government, have been operational for a number of years, offering households and qualifying organisations free and impartial advice and support.

Both organisations have active roles in raising awareness and already undertake a range of engagement activities across Scotland. For example, Home Energy Scotland delivers a programme of employee engagement for large employers offering:

• Interactive online and in-person workshops on a variety of topics including saving energy at home.
• Advice stalls in the workplace
• E-learning modules which inform the user on ways to save energy at home and encourage them to contact HES for advice and support.
• Resources for employers to share with staff include links to video presentations, posters with QR codes to link to energy saving advice and the home energy check and energy efficiency tips and other content for corporate newsletters.

Over the lifetime of this Strategic Framework, we will work with Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland to build on existing engagement activities and consider where new activity can be introduced.

Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland are not the only organisations that arrange, and host engagement activity related to clean heating systems and energy efficiency.

There are a range of third sector organisations and community groups that activity contributes. We will continue to integrate clean heating systems and energy efficiency content in the on-going review and development of resources to support local group discussions on net zero and the actions that individuals can take to reduce their personal carbon emissions.

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.

Myth Busting

The transition to clean heating systems and improved energy efficiency is at risk of disinformation and false assumptions. The lack of general familiarity with clean heating systems, like heat pumps and heat networks, makes this hard to tackle and misinformation and falsehoods about technologies can quickly take hold.

This can dampen people’s motivation and willingness to adopt these technologies. This is despite the reality that technologies such as heat pumps and heat networks are well-established and proven technologies, both in Scotland and internationally.

Over the next 3 years, we will prioritise increasing public access to reliable, accurate and trustworthy sources of information on clean heating systems and energy efficiency to help increase understanding.

This will help in building consumer confidence around the different technologies available and appropriateness to different property types. This will in turn support people and organisations in making more informed decisions when planning improvements.

We will work collaboratively with partners to ensure they have access to the latest research and data concerning clean heating systems and their operation.

We will work with partners to translate this evidence into meaningful and consumer-friendly messaging for wider dissemination. This messaging, and the evidence we collate and share with stakeholders, will also be reflected in our own national communications and marketing.

Supporting Industry Workforce as Communicators

An effective and existing route to reach a wide range of different building owners is through frontline heating system installers and associated tradespeople. There is evidence to suggest that there is a strong preference across the general public to turn to heating engineers, gas fitters and plumbers as a first port of call when looking to find out about clean heating systems.

The more we can do to support these frontline workers to be able to talk confidently with their customer base about clean heat systems and energy efficiency, the more likely we will be able to encourage a diverse range of potential early adopters to find out more and act.

There is already a wealth of material developed for use. For example, the Energy System Catapult has produced a communications guide at a UK level for use by heating system installers^[7]. The guide sets out example questions and answers likely to be raised by consumers as they move through the journey towards the adoption of a heat pump.

As some elements of the consumer journey for different building owners are different in Scotland, we will work with consumers, industry and wider partners to develop bespoke communications materials to support industry frontline workers. These will also take account of the Scottish policy and support landscape for clean heating systems and energy efficiency.

Supporting Young People to Engage in the Heat Transition

Children and young people have a positive role to play in advocating for societal change. At a local level, young people can help instil change within their families where they bring into the home new ideas and knowledge.

The Climate Action Schools programme^[8], funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Keep Scotland Beautiful^[9], now includes learning materials to support teachers helping them discuss clean heating systems and energy efficiency.

We will continue to work with Keep Scotland Beautiful to build on and further develop these materials, enabling us to increase the number of young people who are able to actively participate in energy and heat discussions with their peers. The newly launched Learning for Sustainability Action Plan 2023 – 2030^[10] supports the development of a “whole setting approach” to the promotion of sustainability practices in education. This includes ensuring schools are greener and more sustainable in line with the principles set out in Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy. Our £1 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme^[11] is helping drive improvements and has ambitious energy efficiency targets. By transforming the school estate, we will bring clean heating systems and improved energy efficiency much closer to young people, helping them engage first hand.

Continue to Convene Wider Domestic and Non-Domestic Sectors

Social and private landlords as well as the public sector have a critical role to play in helping to normalise clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures, helping give confidence to the wider public, build trust and capacity to make home and property improvements.

Social housing landlords have already taken steps to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, and many are now starting to install clean heating systems, which are helping tenants cut bills and stay warm in the colder months. Similarly, managers across the public sector estate are considering how best to retrofit clean heating systems, including opportunities for connecting to heat networks.

We will work with the social housing sector, private rented landlords and the non-domestic sector via existing forums to raise awareness of clean heating systems and energy efficiency upgrades. We will look to share learning across these sectors to further normalise the use of clean heating technologies.

Understand: Summary of actions

• Run a multi-stranded campaign on a regular basis (subject to budget availability) to raise awareness and promote switching to clean heating systems
• Work with Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland to build on existing engagement activities and consider where new activity can be introduced.
• Work with local authorities and local community action hubs to explore what can be done to strengthen local action and grassroots activity
• Work collaboratively with partners to ensure they have access to the latest research and data concerning clean heating systems and their operation
• Work with partners to create meaningful and consumer-friendly messaging
• Work with Keep Scotland Beautiful to build on and further develop materials, enabling us to increase the number of young people who are able to actively participate in energy and heat discussions with their peers.
• Work with the social housing sector, private rented landlords and the non-domestic sector via existing forums to raise awareness of clean heating systems and energy efficiency upgrades.

Delivery Pillar: Participate

Clean Heating Demonstrators and Peer to Peer Learning

Whilst many clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures are well established and deployed at scale in other countries, they do not have the same mass market awareness in Scotland and the UK. This lack of familiarity for most people acts as a drag on take up slowing the rollout of clean heat technologies and energy efficiency measures.

As shown in half of those surveyed had heard of heat pumps only 41% reported having a good understanding of them^[12]. We also know that people look to those around them to gauge what action they should be taking to reduce emissions.

Around 70% of people believe that others are either doing about the same, or less than them^[13]. Therefore, we need to increase opportunities for people to learn about clean heating systems, see them in action and hear directly from those who have already installed them.

The Green Homes Network^[14], managed by the Energy Saving Trust, allows people to access case studies about how people similar to them have successfully adopted a clean heating system and made improvements to their home’s energy efficiency.

Additionally, people can contact members of the network to ask questions about their experiences and in some cases are able to request a site visit to the property with the owner’s consent. Other organisations are developing similar platforms. For example, Nesta trailed a Visit a Heat Pump service in 2023^[15].

We will also explore:

• how to improve and extend the reach of our Green Homes Network and work with other partners who have platforms that seek to showcase and help individuals understand clean heating systems and what upgrading means for them.
• options to pilot a place-based initiative to showcase retrofitted properties, clean heating systems, and build public discussion and awareness.
• options to further embed public engagement in our capital funding programmes, for example across the public sector estate and in social housing. This will help to show clean heating systems in operation and help to normalise and improve the acceptability of the technology.

Improving Participation in Decision Making

Earlier this year we published our new Participation Framework^[16] aiming to improve the way in which we make decisions that affect people’s lives. It recognises that better decisions are made when people are able to have a say, particularly those who are going to be directly affected.

Decisions around clean heating systems and energy efficiency will affect almost everyone in Scotland, requiring changes in our homes and places of work. There will be a range of opportunities to input and help shape decision making including on the shape of the proposed regulatory framework as well as on the shape and extent of future support schemes.

We will explore options to increase public participation across the design of Heat in Buildings policy, legislation and delivery schemes. We will continue to utilise traditional methods of engagement, for example, public consultations but will also consider where best to deploy additional complementary approaches including the use of more deliberative approaches, such as citizens assemblies, lived experience panels, user testing workshops, etc.

Participate: Summary of actions

• Explore how to improve and extend the reach of our Green Homes Network
• Work with partners who have platforms that seek to showcase and help individuals understand clean heating systems and what upgrading means for them
• Explore options to pilot a place-based initiative to showcase retrofitted properties, clean heating systems, and build public discussion and awareness
• Explore options to further embed public engagement in our capital funding programmes
• Explore options to increase public participation across the design of Heat in Buildings policy, legislation and delivery schemes.

Delivery Pillar: Act

Continue to provide free and impartial advice

Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland are Scottish Government funded services, managed by the Energy Saving Trust. They provide free and impartial advice to households and SME organisations. This includes advice on what upgrades may be suitable as well as providing access to government grants and interest free (or low cost) loans. This includes access to the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme^[17].

We intend to continue to fund free and impartial advice and support to help households and organisations navigate the changes needed, subject to budgets in future years.

We are seeing a rise in the number of private and third sector retrofit agencies, which are helping households to plan and navigate the steps to install clean heating systems and energy efficiency upgrades. We will work with these organisations, including new entrants, to explore their potential role in managing and coordinating retrofit across Scotland, including how they can support referrals to national advice services.

Improving consumer journeys and signposting

Currently, the consumer landscape around clean heat and energy is fragmented and feedback to the Call for Evidence suggests that some people find it hard to navigate.

We know that more needs to be done to raise awareness of existing advice and support from providers such as Home Energy Scotland. To maximise the impact of these advice services it will be important that we continue to improve signposting and referrals between local organisations and national advice services.

We will work with partners to explore how best to streamline consumer signposting so that people accessing advice are efficiently and where appropriate, directed to the Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland advice services where they can be matched with available support, where eligible.

The consumer journey from entry into the advice and support landscape is a determining factor in whether people and organisations go on to install clean heating systems and upgrade their energy efficiency. Whilst our advice services have high levels of customer satisfaction, improvements can still be made to smooth journeys through accessing advice and support to installation and post-install aftercare.

To understand this further we will review existing consumer journeys to work with partners to implement changes as required to reduce barriers and improve the customer experience.

We will develop good practice guides to help different groups navigate how to go about installing clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures.

Act: Summary of Actions

• Continue to fund free and impartial advice and support to help households and organisations navigate the changes needed (subject to budgets)
• Work with private and third sector retrofit agencies to explore their potential role in managing and coordinating retrofit across Scotland
• Work with partners to explore how best to streamline consumer signposting so that people accessing advice are efficiently and where appropriate, directed to the Home Energy Scotland and Business Energy Scotland advice services where they can be matched with available support, where eligible.
• Review existing consumer journeys to work with partners to implement changes as required to reduce barriers and improve the customer experience
• Develop good practice guides to help different groups navigate how to go about installing clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures