SCOTLAND TO SET HIGHEST STANDARDS FOR CLIMATE-FRIENDLY BUILDINGS IN EUROPE

12 December 2007
Topics: Energy

Commenting on the publication of the Scottish Government’s expert panel report [1] on low carbon buildings today (Wednesday 12 December), which sets out a road map to zero carbon new buildings in 2016/17, Stuart Hay, Head of Policy at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said,

“We warmly welcome this ambitious but realistic report, which puts Scotland on course to achieve warm, dry, climate-friendly new homes within a decade. Scotland is currently 30 years behind Swedish standards of home energy efficiency [2], but if Ministers follow the report’s recommendations, we should match those standards within three years, and exceed them in six. It’s now vital that Ministers deliver the recommendations in this report in full and on time, so we have a realistic chance of meeting climate change targets.”

Chas Booth, Parliamentary Officer for the Association for the Conservation of Energy, said,

“We particularly welcome the report’s endorsement of planning rules which require small-scale renewables [3] until much tougher building regulations come into force in 2013. As last month’s report [4] from the Renewables Advisory Board made clear, this interim support for the micropower industry is absolutely vital if we’re to achieve the target of zero-carbon buildings by 2016.”

Booth continued, “Our only concern with this report is the focus is almost entirely on new buildings. With new build accounting for only 1% of the building stock each year, it’s essential that serious investment in the existing stock is also pursued given Scotland’s growing fuel poverty problem [5]. We urge the Scottish Government to look to Germany, where €2.6bn is being ploughed into energy efficiency improvements for existing homes [6].”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] 1] The report and accompanying press release are available here:
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/sullivanreport.htm

[2] The most recent change in Scottish regulations, introduced on 1 May 2007, require backstop U-values in domestic buildings of 0.3, 0.25 and 0.2 W/m2K in walls, floors and roofs respectively (Scottish Building Standards Agency (2007) Domestic Technical Handbook). This is still not up to the standard set in Sweden in 1978, where the backstop values were 0.3, 0.2 and 0.2 W/m2K respectively (Energy Advisory Associates (2001) Building in ignorance, demolishing complacency: improving the performance of 21st century homes).

[3] Implementation of the so-called “Merton Rule” now requires new buildings in Scotland to reduce their predicted CO2 emissions by 15% through small on-site renewables such as solar panels. New Planning Guidance on Renewables March 2007, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2007/03/22095556

[4] The Renewable Advisory Board Report Can be found at http://www.renewables-advisory-board.org.uk/vBulletin/showthread.php?p=123#post123

[5] Scottish House Condition Survey: Key Findings for 2005/6 (page 26), published 11 December 2007 show that the Number of Fuel Poor households rose by 124,000 from 419,000 in 2004/5 to 543,000 in 2005/6 – this equates to a 29% year on year rise.
This leaves just under one in four of all Scottish households unable to afford to adequately heat their homes.
See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/07131524/8

[6] See http://www.euractiv.com/en/climate-change/german-climate-plan-gets-mixed-reviews/article-166113 for more information on the German scheme.

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