{"id":114184,"date":"2022-08-11T07:15:24","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T06:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=114184"},"modified":"2022-08-10T14:19:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T13:19:08","slug":"scotland-faces-a-monumental-task-on-eco-housing-says-msp-at-green-home-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/energy-news\/scotland-faces-a-monumental-task-on-eco-housing-says-msp-at-green-home-festival\/114184\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland faces a \u2018monumental task\u2019 on eco housing, says MSP at Green Home Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scotland is facing a \u2018monumental task\u2019 on eco housing, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants\u2019 Rights Patrick Harvie has warned<\/h2>\n

Scotland is facing a \u2018monumental task\u2019 on eco housing, Patrick Harvie warned on Monday (8 August) at the first ever Green Home Festival as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Greens co-leader and Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants\u2019 Rights was the keynote speaker at the launch of the five-day renewables jamboree, which has been organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(CICV).<\/p>\n

The event was part of off a week-long series of events delivering practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net zero nation.<\/p>\n

Scotland needs to overhaul its aged housing stock and combat fuel poverty<\/h3>\n

Speaking to representatives at the Scottish headquarters of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)<\/a>, Mr Harvie outlined the scale of the challenge and some of the measures the Scottish Government was taking to try and tackle today\u2019s environmental issues.<\/p>\n

Mr Harvie observed that: \u201cOur homes and workplaces account for around a fifth of Scotland\u2019s total greenhouse gas emissions. Our statutory target for 2030 means that we need to reduce emissions from heating buildings by 68% below their level in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a monumental but essential task. Our building stock is relatively old, and wasn\u2019t always built to high energy standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy 2030, we want to see a large majority of homes achieving a level of energy efficiency at least equivalent to an EPC C<\/a> \u2013 with all homes meeting that standard by 2033, where feasible and cost effective. This will reduce emissions from our buildings, but it will also help make our energy more affordable, by removing poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Harvie argues that private sector investment must play a role in switching Scotland to zero direct emissions heating<\/h3>\n

The MSP for the Glasgow region said: \u201cMeeting our 2030 target means that we need over a million homes and the equivalent of 50,000 non-domestic buildings to switch from fossil fuels. This is a huge transition, affecting communities, businesses and homes across Scotland.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting there will need a much faster installation rate for these zero direct emissions heating systems<\/a>. In recent years that rate has been around 3,000 homes annually, but we need to reach around 200,000 each year in the latter part of this decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Harvie also said that the cost-of-living crisis and unprecedented surges in energy prices make the challenge even harder and the government can\u2019t foot the bill on its own.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cOur funding will make a huge difference to the heat transition. But the cost of transforming our building stock \u2013 around \u00a333 billion to 2045 \u2013 can\u2019t be met by government alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Green Heat Finance Task Force<\/a> is now working on innovative solutions to maximise private sector investment, and to find new ways to help spread the upfront cost of making properties warmer, greener and more energy efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other events at the festival include advisory presentations for householders on energy efficient technology and eco housing<\/h3>\n

The Green Home Festival will deliver 12 in-person and virtual presentations on a range of topics such as:<\/p>\n