Question reference: S6W-24589
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 18 January 2024
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 1 February 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what type of building would be expected to connect to heat networks as part of a proposed Heat in Buildings Bill.
Answer
The Heat in Buildings Bill consultation proposes that local authorities and the Scottish Ministers may be provided with powers to require buildings within a Heat Network Zone to end their use of polluting heating systems (by a certain date and with a minimum notice period).
We do not specify any sub-sets of buildings which may be affected by these proposals, in order to gain thorough feedback in response to our consultation. Thereafter we will analyse responses to help determine whether to take these proposals forward, including whether they may be restricted to particular types of buildings.
In March 2022 we published The Heat Networks Delivery Plan, which sets out a building hierarchy table for connection to a heat network and can also support our policy development in this area. It sets out that within a heat network zone it will be important to encourage and prioritise the connection of key anchor buildings, which can enable the efficient operation of a heat network, helping to reduce customer costs and enabling the extension of the network over time to other nearby buildings.
District heat network development: Building Connection Hierarchy*
Priority | Non-domestic* 2 | Domestic* 3 | |
1 | New Buildings (with a heat demand)
| Existing public sector non-domestic buildings (above a certain heat demand* 4 ) | Residential buildings with high heat demand. Highest priority for highest heat demand such as large groups of homes already on communal heating, large multi home or multi tenancy domestic buildings* 5 and retirement homes. |
2 | Existing Commercial or Third Sector non-domestic buildings (above heat demand threshold* 4 ) | Existing public sector non-domestic buildings (below heat demand threshold* 4 ) | |
3 | Existing Commercial / Third Sector (below heat demand threshold). Possible priority for multi tenancy or multi ownership or historic or traditional buildings* 5 | ||
4 | All other heat using buildings in heat network zones that are not already served by zero emission heating or for which there is no fuel poverty increase in doing so. | ||
Building Connection Hierarchy – Interpretation and Points of Note * This Hierarchy applies only to buildings in a heat network zone, buildings that do not already have a zero emission heating system and that are not soon to be demolished. * 2 Particular flexibility may be required around long term contracts for energy supply, energy performance contracting or novel financing arrangements such as Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Non-Profit Distributing Model, and Pubic Private Partnerships (PPPs). * 3 Where this does not adversely impact those at risk of fuel poverty. Higher priority for those that support the eradication of fuel poverty. * 4 Where heat demand cannot be used a size threshold may be an acceptable alternative. * 5 The inclusion of multi ownership buildings (rather than those with one organising entity such as a social landlord) and historic and traditional buildings is included only where this does not risk the timely delivery of the heat network. | |||