Greens call for more ambition on heat networks
The Scottish Greens have called for ministers to be bolder in the Scottish Government’s new heat networks bill.
The new bill will introduce new regulations and a licensing system for heat networks – where neighbourhoods can use a single heat source to warm their homes.
The Scottish Green New Deal, published last year, proposes expanding heat networks and retrofitting homes to make them more efficient and cut heating bills.
Responding, Scottish Green energy spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: “I welcome some progress on heat networks, but this bill needs to be bolder if it is going to be an emergency response to the climate crisis. Decarbonising the heating of our homes must now be an urgent priority for the Scottish Government.
“District heat networks are not a new idea. Copenhagen has been doing it since the 1970s, and new networks are being rolled out across the Netherlands. The Scottish Government has some catching up to do.
“Four out of five Scottish households currently use gas central heating. Not only are we building more, there is so much we can do to make our existing buildings more efficient. We managed to extract more money from the Scottish Government for energy efficiency in the Scottish budget, but there needs to be more ambition going forward.”