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CIH Scotland is calling for significant investment to support the move to net zero emissions homes.
The Scottish Government's draft Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out plans to achieve net zero emissions in Scotland's buildings. The Scottish Government is working towards a statutory target enshrined in the Climate Change Act 2019 to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. Interim targets will require a 75 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040.
Scotland's homes and buildings currently account for 21 percent of all emissions. The strategy sets out overarching principles for meeting net zero emissions and links with other programmes such as Energy Efficient Scotland, scaling up of heat networks and renewable heating systems across Scotland and plans to introduce regulations for minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector and for owner occupiers.
The Scottish Government plans to invest £1.6 billion in energy efficiency and renewables over the course of the next Parliament.
Ashley Campbell, Policy and practice manager at CIH Scotland said: "We understand and support the need to tackle the climate crisis and our homes must play a role in achieving zero emission ambitions. However, it is essential that the costs of moving to zero emissions homes are not passed on to households on low income.
"The £1.6 billion investment pledged by the Scottish Government is welcome but the draft strategy estimates that the total costs will reach £33 billion. We recognise that the Scottish Government cannot cover the full cost of tackling climate change but if funding is not increased significantly, we risk pushing more people into poverty.
"Social landlords have already invested significant sums in improving existing homes, spending £373 million of their own resources towards meeting Energy Efficiency Standards for Social Housing (EESSH) between 2015-16 and 2018-19. This is ultimately paid for through tenants' rent and increasing standards further without sufficient financial support from Scottish Government could risk social rents becoming unaffordable."
