Question reference: S6W-25714
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 23 February 2024
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 8 March 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects any new minimum standard for energy efficiency to be introduced through its Heat in Buildings Bill to be equivalent to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C standard.
Answer
A good level of energy efficiency is defined in the Heat in Buildings Strategy as equivalent to EPC C (based on current Energy Efficiency Rating on an EPC).However, the current Energy Efficiency Rating is not an appropriate basis on which to set an energy efficiency standard because it is based on the modelled cost to run a property, not energy efficiency.
In 2022, in response to feedback from the Climate Change Committee and other stakeholders, the Scottish Government commissioned the Building Research Establishment(BRE) to evaluate options for a new fabric energy efficiency metric to be used on EPCs in Scotland. As part of this work BRE analysed the energy efficiency of the Scottish housing stock’s building fabric. BRE’s report showed that the average house at the entry-point to EPC band C had a heating and cooling demand of approximately 120kWh/m2/year (not including energy needed to provide hot water).
The consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill includes the option of meeting a Fabric Energy Efficiency standard based on this heating and cooling demand, as an alternative to the ‘List of Measures’ approach. Research carried out by the BRE shows that when installing the measures suggested in the list, a clear majority (around 66%) of Scottish homes could achieve this good level of energy efficiency.