PUBLIC money spent on making homes greener must double to meet climate targets, a nationwide charity says.
The Scottish Government has committed £119 million a year to improving the energy efficiency of our homes.
The move is part of overall efforts to cut the country’s carbon footprint and tackle climate change.
Reducing the fossil fuel consumption of current housing stock would also help cut fuel poverty, it is claimed. But Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) says it will take double the current public spend to make the changes needed.
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The Scottish Government’s climate change targets mean net zero emissions are to be achieved by 2045.
As much as 13% of the country’s carbon emissions currently come from people’s homes and to address this, the SNP administration aims to raise the energy performance of all homes to at least a C rating – with a higher B rating for all social housing – by 2040.
New research by CAS estimates it will cost homeowners, landlords and the public sector at least £11 billion to do this – £550m each year for two decades.
And it says the £119m committed by Holyrood must double. According to its calculations, it will take at least £256m per year to hit the target. This would amount to 0.3% of Scottish public sector expenditure.
Dr Jamie Stewart (right) of CAS said: “We support bold targets on climate change but we want to ensure the cost of meeting those targets doesn’t fall on those least able to pay. That’s why increasing the funding for energy efficiency will help make Scotland’s homes easier to heat and reduce emissions at the same time – it’s a win-win.
“We welcome the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficient Scotland programme as it offers a long-term commitment to address a systemic problem over the next twenty years. But despite energy efficiency being designated as a national infrastructure priority four years ago, the amount of central funding available has remained the same.
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“Improving energy efficiency of our homes is key to Scotland becoming ‘net zero’ but it is vital that the public and specifically those who are fuel poor aren’t hit the hardest by the drives to meet climate targets.”
The Scottish Government said its Fuel Poverty Act is “the most ambitious and comprehensive” legislation of its kind in the UK, adding: “By 2021 the Scottish Government will have allocated over £1bn to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency, making people’s homes warmer and cheaper to heat. This investment has already lowered bills and reduced CO2 emissions as well as supported the creation of jobs, training opportunities and innovations.
“We will also ensure that from 2024, all new homes must use renewable or low carbon heat. This will be achieved through a fundamental overhaul in building regulations that will increase energy efficiency.”
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