Consultation launched on energy efficiency ratings overhaul

Scottish Government proposals to overhaul energy efficiency ratings for buildings have been put out for consultation.

Heat in buildings minister Patrick Harvie launched the exercise on Tuesday, proposing a shift in the current system that would see the type of heating system a home or building has and its environmental impact have an effect on ratings.

The shift, which also includes consideration of the cost and fabric of a building in determining ratings, is “long overdue”, Mr Harvie said, adding the changes reflect advice from the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

“We want to enhance EPCs (energy performance certificates) so they continue to be a valuable source of information for homebuyers, owners and occupiers,” he said.

“An improved EPC system will help underpin wider reforms to cut emissions from our homes and end our dependency on volatile and increasingly expensive fossil fuels.

“This will be one of the overarching aims of our consultation on proposals which could inform a future Heat in Buildings Bill, and which we intend to publish later this summer.

“Scotland already has the most generous grants available of any of the UK nations for households that are switching to climate-friendly heating systems, but in every country making this vital transition, regulation is needed to steer choices about energy use and heating systems, and Scotland is no different.

“The changes we are proposing are essential, not just in making sure that Scotland meets the climate emergency head-on but in securing our energy future, providing the jobs and skills we need, and making us all less vulnerable to volatile fossil fuel prices.”

The consultation opened on Tuesday and will close on October 16.

Writing in the Herald on Sunday, Mr Harvie said Scottish homes must undergo a “massive transition” to environmentally-friendly heating systems, with the target of all homes meeting new energy efficiency targets for heating by 2033 and regulations forcing new buildings and homes to meet similar standards from next April.