SNP abandons plan to force Scots to scrap their gas boilers
The SNP has abandoned its plan to force householders to scrap their gas boilers and install heat pumps after admitting that it was unaffordable.
Alasdair Allan, the SNP's acting climate change minister, said a new Heat in Buildings Bill 'moves away from penalising individuals' who refused to get rid of gas-powered heating.
Instead, he said targets would be established 'for government to reach', with ministers working to do 'everything within our power to reduce costs for people'.
In an extraordinary U-turn on the SNP's previous stance, Dr Allan admitted that the cost of living crisis made it 'simply unaffordable' for many householders and businesses to 'make great changes in the near future' to their heating systems.
The minister said the Bill would aim to decarbonise heating by 2045 but he provided no other deadline or timetable for the switch, or any costs.
However, he said the legislation would introduce new powers to set minimum energy standards for properties 'as part of a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by heating systems'.
This included new regulations stating that all privately rented properties must have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of at least C.
Under its original energy efficiency strategy, the Scottish Government aimed to phase out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers in off-grid properties from 2025, and from homes connected to the gas mains from 2030.
A 'backstop' date of 2045 was set for all homes to use zero direct emissions heating systems, under the plan, which was unveiled when the SNP and the Greens were in coalition.
But the plan appeared to land householders with the overwhelming bulk of the estimated £33 billion cost of decarbonising Scotland's buildings.
The Scottish Government had previously admitted that the average cost of installing a heat pump was around £10,000, even before the recent surge in inflation. This was around four times the £2,500 cost of replacing a fossil fuel boiler.
Meghan Gallacher, the Scottish Tories' shadow housing secretary, said: 'We repeatedly warned the Scottish Government that their Heat in Buildings Bill was a farce, but time and time again they dug in their heels and refused to listen.'
She added: 'Today's rehashed Bill still provides no clarity on the costs to the public.
'Rather than continually setting net zero targets that they fail to meet, the SNP must finally outline a fair and affordable transition for hard-pressed, over-taxed Scots.'
The Scottish Government will table the new version of the Bill this year, which they hope will gain Royal Assent before next May's Holyrood elections.
Dr Allan insisted that setting a target to decarbonise heating would send a 'strong signal to homeowners, landlords and other building owners on the need to prepare for change'.
However, he accepted the upfront costs customers have to pay for 'clean heating systems remain higher than those for fossil fuel systems'.
Dr Allan said ministers had listened to concerns that the original plans risked 'burdening every individual householder with an overly onerous responsibility' as the country seeks to move away from fossil fuels.
In a statement to MSPs at Holyrood, he said that the new approach 'moves away from penalising individuals and instead commits to collective action'.
But Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Greens co-leader who unveiled the original plan to get rid of boilers, accused his former SNP colleagues of setting targets that were 'utterly meaningless without action and leadership'.
He said the new Bill stripped 'out almost all of the serious policy measures', adding: 'This will keep more people stuck on gas, which is bad for our planet and will continue to punish people all across our country by forcing them to fork out while the fossil fuel companies post record profits.'
Anna Gardiner, rural property policy adviser for landowners' group Scottish Land & Estates, praised the Scottish Government's 'more balanced approach'.
But she added: 'We do, however, hold real concerns regarding the vagueness of approach on rental properties meeting EPC rating 'C'.
'While we support the ambition to improve energy efficiency in the rental sector, we need clear guidance and support mechanisms to ensure that property owners can meet these targets in a fair and practical way.'
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