A new report describing Scotland’s current plans for heat pump rollout as ‘slow’ and ‘unambitious’ should be a wake-up call for the government according to Nesta, a research and innovation foundation.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has published a report on Scotland’s progress against its emissions reduction targets. In response, Nesta has published new analysis on how the Scottish Government can meet its home heating targets.
The analysis finds that approximately 110,000 heat pumps and other low-carbon heating systems will need to be installed in Scotland over the course of the next parliament to put the country on track to delivering on its legally binding climate obligations. This would triple the number of heat pumps in Scotland.
Nesta said the current draft Climate Change Plan’s path for low carbon heating implies as few as 30,000 installs in this timeframe.
Responding to the CCC’s report, Robin Parker, sustainable future mission manager at Nesta Scotland, said, “The Climate Change Committee’s report rightly highlights that decarbonising home heating will need to be top of the in-tray for the next Scottish Government. This should be a wake-up call that the Scottish Government’s current plans to reduce home heating emissions fall short.
“Nesta analysis shows that targeting 110,000 home heat pump installations across the next Scottish Parliament period would be in line with the pathway for home heating in Scotland that the CCC had previously set out. Targeting 110,000 heat pump installations over five years would support steady growth of the heat pump industry in Scotland without kicking the can down the road so that unrealistically rapid change is needed in the future.
“The final version of the Climate Change Plan should commit to this target and so should all political parties ahead of the May elections.
“Scotland has a golden opportunity to put its plentiful renewable energy from wind and water to use for heating homes, through heat pumps and other efficient low carbon technology. After the election, the new government should ensure that existing grant schemes for heat pump installations will continue and bring forward an ambitious Heat in Buildings Bill that accelerates heat pump installations. Hand-in-hand with this, the UK Government must look to take action to reduce the cost of electricity.”
