Heat pumps should be installed in public buildings first to prove they work before homeowners are forced to replace their gas boilers, the Scottish Conservatives have said.
In plans that the Tories have called an effort to “carry the public with us” in progressing towards green technology, more grants would also be offered to help people upgrade their homes. The party would also introduce exemptions for off-grid homes where it would be “prohibitively expensive” to make the changes.
The Scottish government last year rolled back its proposal to phase out new or replacement fossil fuel boilers in off-grid properties from 2025 and from those connected to the gas mains from 2030.
The target is to have almost all homes and buildings powered by technology such as heat pumps or being part of a larger heat network by 2045. Alongside that, landlords will have to meet minimum energy performance standards for their properties by 2028, while for homeowners the aim will be for that to be in place by 2033.
Douglas Lumsden, the Conservative net zero spokesman, said that making the switch to clean energies would be successful only if “the financial burden on homeowners is not too great”.
Advertisement
He said: “We’re insisting that local authorities and governments install green heating alternatives before putting those demands on homeowners. This will not only give the public more time to switch over but it lets them see that those imposing regulations on them are practising what they preach.
“Patrick Harvie [the Scottish Green co-leader and minister for zero carbon buildings] has ploughed ahead with his heat pump plan, oblivious to the warnings that it will cost Scottish householders tens of thousands of pounds to comply with. That’s unrealistic and unfair — particularly during a cost-of-living crisis.”
The Tories said that the proposed grant would be used to improve heat retention and energy efficiency improvements to homes, including the installation of heat pumps, insulation, and upgrading from single to double-glazed windows.
Up to £7,500 would be available for such installations, with households also able to apply for an interest-free loan for renovation schemes up to £10,000. The party said that if every home with a poor energy-efficiency rating applied, it would cost approximately £9.2 billion.
It would cost an additional £12.2 billion to approve loans for every single household in that situation, although most of this would be likely to be recouped. The Tories did not say how this would be paid for and the party also wants taxes cut in Scotland.
Advertisement
The policies fly in the face of warnings from IPPR Scotland, which said that the Scottish government needed to increase the pace of moving from gas boilers to alternative heat sources if it wants to achieve net-zero targets.
Research by the left-leaning thinktank suggested more than 100,000 homes will need to be converted annually by 2030, compared with about 5,000 today.
The modelling carried out by IPPR indicates the typical cost would be between £10,000 and £15,000 per household.
It argues households with the “broadest financial shoulders” should have to pay while those on lower incomes would receive grants to cover the cost.
The report, published in conjunction with Oxfam Scotland and the Scottish Federation for Housing Associations, recommends the bulk of the money to support more vulnerable households should come from government.
Advertisement
That would require a near trebling of funding to £1 billion, with the IPPR suggesting one way to raise the money would be a further increase in income tax.
A Scottish government spokesman said: “We recognise the need to increase the pace and scale of the move to clean heat so that we tackle climate change and ensure everyone in Scotland has a warm, affordable home to live in. We also understand the level of support required to help people with that transition, especially during a cost of living crisis. That’s why the Scottish government has already committed significant funding to this work, and we will continue to do so.
“We have committed £1.8 billion during the course of this p0arliament to support this transition. Scotland has the most generous package of grants and loans in the UK, which are available for households who are seeking to move to clean heating.
“But the investment to decarbonise heat must come from many sources, not just the government. That’s why we formed an expert green heat finance task force, which has been working on new ways to finance this work, and to stimulate investment in skills, innovation and the supply chain. Its first report concluded that there is a huge appetite to fund climate-friendly heating and better-insulated homes in Scotland, and that creates an opportunity for many well paid jobs in the sector.
“Our current proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill would see Scotland on the most ambitious path within the UK, with a roll-out of clean heating systems at a scale and pace very much faster than at present.”
