Tens of thousands of rural households in Scotland could face energy costs of more than £30,000 to meet the new standards set by ministers.
The Scottish government wants households in rural areas and living in off-grid properties to comply with “new zero-emissions heat” rules by 2025.
Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, wants these households to install environmentally friendly options — such as heat pumps — to replace fossil fuels.
But in response to a parliamentary question, Harvie admitted that about 40,000 countryside homes, nearly a quarter of Scotland’s 170,000 off-grid households, were not suitable for air-source heat pumps.
All buildings are to be converted to “zero emissions” by 2045 at a total cost of £33 billion. But so far, the SNP-Green coalition has announced only £1.8 billion of support, raising fears that homeowners and businesses will have to meet the majority of the cost.
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According to the trade association Liquid Gas UK, forcing these homes to meet green standards could cost homeowners up to £32,000.
Harvie said: “Heating our homes and buildings is the third-largest cause of emissions in Scotland. Poorly insulated homes and our reliance on fossil fuel heating also leaves households and business exposed to significant energy cost increases such as we have seen over this year.
“That is why our Heat in Buildings Strategy, supported by £1.8 billion over this parliament, sets out ambitious targets to transform how we heat and insulate buildings. The technologies we need are well-established and include air-source heat pumps and heat networks. And where these are not available, there are many alternatives.”
Scottish ministers want all homes to have at least an energy performance certificate rating of at least “C” by 2025, with all buildings to meet this standard by 2033.
However, research published in 2019 found only 45 per cent of Scottish homes met this benchmark.
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Liam Kerr, the Scottish Conservative spokesman for net zero, said: “The fact that tens of thousands of rural homes risk being left behind and exposed tells you everything you need to know about this SNP-Green government.
“It continually obsesses about the central belt while leaving the rest of Scotland in the lurch. In announcing these plans, the Scottish government didn’t stop to think about the impact on tens of thousands of people living off the gas grid. Now it risks implementing a policy without giving any consideration to how the people living in these homes will cope.”
The Liquid Gas UK report estimated the upfront costs of installing a range of low-carbon heating options, and found that an air-source heat pump costs £18,270.
