Scotland could use community heating to fight climate emergency

Future housing developments could incorporate community heating.

Scotland will be the first country in the UK to enshrine the place of heat networks in law to help meet climate change targets and tackle fuel poverty.

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The Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill published yesterday will introduce regulation and a licensing system for district and communal heating to accelerate use of the networks across Scotland.

Improving efficiency

If passed, the legislation would enable more networks to be built to heat small communities, lowering the need for less efficient single gas boilers along with the possibility of the networks being powered by renewable sources.

The initiative generates heat at a central source, with either hot water or steam transported to homes and other nearby buildings using insulated pipes, according to District Heating Scotland.

Energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said there are currently more than 800 networks across the country but the bill will allow for further expansion.

Ministers say the bill would help to meet climate targets set out in the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act last year, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045.

Climate emergency

Mr Wheelhouse said: “We are facing a global climate emergency and one of the major challenges is reducing and ultimately stopping the impact from heating our homes and buildings, which is where more than half the energy we consume as a society currently goes.

Heat networks have huge potential to reduce that impact by providing more efficient, environmentally friendly solutions.

“The Scottish Government is determined to unlock the potential for that sector wherever possible and stimulate local jobs across Scotland in the process of delivering projects.”

He added: “We have done much to support the sector in recent years – there are currently more than 830 networks operating in Scotland, including significant projects we have supported in locations such as Glenrothes – but the sector is currently lacking a coherent regulatory framework and the Heat Networks Bill therefore marks the beginning of a transformational change as we seek to create a supportive market environment for the necessary expansion of heat networks.

“The benefits of heat networks are not only environmental, they can save space, remove combustion risk within buildings, and have been shown to save householders and businesses up to 36 per cent in fuel costs, with consequent benefits for tackling fuel poverty and reducing costs faced by businesses and public bodies.”

Budget deal with Greens

The introduction of the bill comes as the Scottish Government is expected to pass its budget on Thursday with the support of the Scottish Greens. The budget features £180 million of funding to decarbonise heating across Scotland.

WWF Scotland’s head of policy, Gina Hanrahan, welcomed the bill. She said:“Transforming the way we heat our homes, offices and schools is a vital component of Scotland’s journey to zero carbon.

This new legislation is an important milestone which will help to drive investment in urban heat networks, which have the potential to heat nearly half a million homes in Scotland by 2030, reducing emissions, creating jobs and cutting fuel costs.”