Decarbonising homes: International policy lessons and impacts in Scotland

Why it is important

Scotland’s buildings account for approximately a fifth of the nation’s emissions. Decarbonising homes and buildings will play a significant part in achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

The Heat in Building Strategy, published in 2021, commits to regulating energy efficiency and reducing emissions from heating in existing homes from 2025. The New Build Heat Standard prohibits polluting oil and gas boilers in new buildings from April 2024.

Given this urgency, the Scottish Government asked ClimateXChange (CXC) to gather evidence on how other countries are approaching the challenge of decarbonising heating and improving energy efficiency in homes. The goal was to draw lessons for policy and implementation in Scotland.

How ClimateXChange supported policymakers

A study investigated regulations on home energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation from other countries, regions and cities. It aimed to understand what worked or failed and why.

Given the devolved legal powers of the Scottish Government, it was important to primarily focus on the effectiveness of policies that could be replicated in Scotland. This focus helped inform how regulations might best work in Scotland. We also asked for the research to be structured around the Heat in Buildings Strategy.

The findings opened the way to further research that provided policymakers with a comprehensive body of evidence. Follow-up CXC studies investigated personal circumstances that may make it more challenging for people to meet the requirements proposed; explored the practicality and cost of clean heating in challenging home types; and identified how compliance can be monitored. Researchers reviewed international regulations and case studies, and conducted surveys and expert interviews.

Impact

The lessons drawn from the international review have been so useful to the Scottish Government that they plan to connect with some of the countries identified in the research. One of those countries is Italy, where the mandatory share of renewable energy for domestic hot water and electricity has increased.

“For us at the Scottish Government, this was the first time we’ve had a comprehensive comparison with other countries on home energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation regulation. That is a key interest for ministers and often a focal point in policy briefings. The findings from the study provided us with a robust framework for identifying relevant international schemes.”
– Antonia Georgieva, Head of Heat in Buildings: Domestic regulations and clean heat in new buildings, Scottish Government

Furthermore, the Clean Heat Forum, an international collaboration between national governments, NGOs and companies to discuss confidence in emerging policies, is considering creating a live tracker or dashboard version of the project.

The tracker will show updated information on international regulations and policies relevant to heat and energy efficiency and their effectiveness. The Scottish Government is keen to support this given the value of understanding how clean heat interventions have helped other countries decarbonise. This value was demonstrated by the CxC project.

Fostering collaboration

Speaking about her experience of working with ClimateXChange on several projects, Antonia Georgieva said: “Our projects with ClimateXChange have been very well managed. Their process sets clear expectations and fosters an environment conducive to collaboration, serving as a link between us and the researchers.”

Providing flexibility in heat and energy efficiency regulations – personal circumstances

The suitability of clean heating options for challenging dwelling types

An evidence review of data associated with non-domestic buildings

Costs of zero emissions heating in new buildings

Direct greenhouse gas emissions from low and zero carbon heating systems

Zero emissions heating in new buildings across Scottish Islands

Heat in buildings data for digital compliance