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The Existing Homes Alliance | Scotland

campaigning for the transformation of Scotland's existing housing stock

Existing Homes Alliance contribution to Climate Change Plan – Nov 2016

29 November 2016

To meet Scotland’s climate change targets, emissions from all sectors of the economy will need to be reduced. This includes emissions from homes, which today account for 25% of Scotland’s CO2 emissions. According to the UK Committee on Climate Change’s latest advice1, by 2030 emissions from heating homes will need to have been reduced by 33%2 on 20143 levels to keep Scotland on the most cost-effective path to meeting its climate change targets. Over half of this reduction will need to come from improving the energy efficiency of homes, with the rest achieved by switching to renewable heating systems, including electric heat pumps powered by renewable and low carbon electricity and low carbon heat networks.
This briefing sets out what policies and proposals need to be included in Scotland’s forthcoming Climate Change Plan in order to ensure a sufficient contribution to emissions reduction from the existing housing stock. This in turn, will also deliver a range of other benefits in terms of alleviating fuel poverty, boosting the economy, and improving health outcomes.

climateplan_briefing-exha_nov2016

Filed Under: Policy

10 Key Recommendations

1 The Energy Efficient Scotland Programme, the cornerstone of the National Infrastructure Priority for energy efficiency, should have a statutory underpinning, including a target for the vast majority of housing (where technically feasible and appropriate) to reach the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C by 2030.

2 The introduction of new regulation and planning controls, backed by market incentives, to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes.

3 Scotland-wide area-based schemes to deliver retrofit of existing homes, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, street by street, alongside a national, demand led programme.

4 A range of financial incentives to encourage investment in energy efficiency and micro-generation.

5 New service offerings, products and packages for retrofit.

6 Better information on household energy use and its carbon emissions for consumers.

7 Better energy performance data on existing housing.

8 Reliable quality control and up-skilling on low and zero-carbon technologies.

9 A major programme to catalogue and showcase existing and ongoing exemplar low energy refurbishments.

10 Maximise use of devolved powers and influence UK policy to improve energy efficiency.

Learn more »

About us

The Existing Homes Alliance Scotland is a coalition calling for urgent action to transform Scotland's existing housing stock and make it fit for the 21st century. Too many of Scotland's homes are in a poor condition meaning unnecessarily high fuel use.

We gratefully acknowledge funding support from the William Grant Foundation.

Recent Updates

  • Alliance welcomes ambitious Heat in Buildings Strategy and call for fuel poverty budget boost to achieve goals
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  • Evidence to Scottish Parliament’s Scrutiny of the Climate Change Plan Update

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Join our campaign to ensure there are no households in Scotland living in a hard-to-heat, draughty home by 2030. We urge the Scottish Government to use the once in a generation opportunity of the Energy Efficient Scotland programme and the Fuel Poverty Bill to transform Scotland’s homes for the better, put an end to fuel poverty and seize the opportunities of a low carbon future.

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