However, the Committee heard there needs to be an immediate spending increase to kick start what the CCC called “a labour-intensive set of investments that make our housing stock more ready for climate change and more energy efficient”.iOfficial Report, 15 September 2020, col.13 The CCC state housing retrofits, skills and training are the top priority and spend needs to be frontloaded on labour intensive programmes that can begin quickly (12-24 months) to get money cycling in the economy.iiCCC letter to Roseanna Cunningham MSP, 'Building a resilient recovery from the COVID-19 crisis', 6 May 2020; Official Report, 15 September 2020, col.5-6
The Committee recommends:
The Scottish Government, develop, fund and mandate a comprehensive programme to bring Scotland’s existing housing stock, particularly pre-1919 tenements and other hard to treat homes, up to an improved and sustainable level of energy efficiency, in line with the recommendations of the CCC.iii'Reducing Emissions in Scotland, Progress Report to Parliament', CCC, October 2020, pp.109-113 A fresh approach is required to ensure that those living in conservation areas and listed buildings have access to the best performing technologies, and that their decarbonisation efforts are not hampered by historic designations.