THE second Green Home Festival is underway in Edinburgh. Housing minister Paul McLennan officially opened the event as part of the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a message that climate change is the ‘defining issue of our time’ and we all have a role to play to ensure Scotland transitions to a net zero future.
The MSP was the keynote speaker at the launch of the five-day festival, organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV).
Mr McLennan was joined by TV presenter and award-winning designer Anna Campbell-Jones for the launch event. Speaking to delegates at the Scottish HQ of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Mr McLennan said, “Climate change is the defining issue of our time; the climate emergency is already here and we know that we have to act for our generation and also for future generations.
“We know that to meet Scotland’s climate targets we need to reduce emissions from heating buildings by 68% by 2030, which is a huge task. We also need to switch homes and buildings to zero direct emissions heating, such as heat pumps and heat networks.
“The cost of living crisis and unprecedented surges in energy prices make this challenge even harder, as do the impacts of rising inflation on building and construction costs. But these factors make it even more important to move away from expensive fossil fuels for heating our homes – to help make our energy more affordable and secure, while eliminating energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty.”
Mr McLennan also stressed that raising awareness about the changes we need to see are key to Scotland reducing emissions from our building stock. He added, “We need to help homes, businesses and other property owners to understand what the heat transition will mean for them, the types of measures best suited to their homes and buildings and the support available to them to make this transition. We plan to publish a Heat in Buildings Public Engagement Strategy later this year, setting out our plan to increase understanding of the heat transition in Scotland.
“Many of you in industry, the public and third sectors are already taking the lead in the heat transition by decarbonising your own buildings. Events such as the Green Home Festival – offering live demonstrations and guidance – can play a huge part in increasing understanding of the changes we need to see in our building stock and of zero emissions heating systems in Scotland.”
Other speakers included festival co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland director of the Federation of Master Builders, and Sandra Cummings, chair of the RICS Scotland board.
Mr Nelson said, “We were extremely grateful to Mr McLennan for opening the second Green Home Festival and kicking off a fantastic week of essential advice and practical hands-on information. Once again it has been heartening to be involved in a wider team effort, working with kindred organisations and highly skilled people in planning this year’s festival which will promote the construction sector’s commitment to accessible, affordable, and sustainable low-carbon energy solutions.
“Through influencing government policy, the CICV will aspire to realise its vision of building a sustainable future, one home at a time.”
Following the launch, Scotland’s Home of the Year judge Anna took centre stage for the first show of the day, Ingredients for a Greener Kitchen, which showed homeowners how to make cooking spaces more eco-friendly, with contributions from Scottish Water and trade bodies SNIPEF and SELECT.
The show was followed by a session on the potential of microwave heating, in which Professor Sean Smith from the University of Edinburgh outlined the features and benefits of the alternative heat source.
The Green Home Festival is delivering a further eight in-person and virtual presentations this week, targeting homeowners, construction professionals, housing associations, landlords and local authorities. Topics covered include green garden rooms and offices, making retrofit projects eco-friendly, converting churches and how the home of the future will be powered.
The event also includes a dedicated heat pump day, with two separate shows on how to reduce bills, access grants and install the technology, as well as options for hybrid heating.
Built Environment – Smarter Transformation also hosted an in-person show on the advantages of community heat networks and a webinar that advised what consumers can do to reduce both energy consumption and bills.
