Gillian Martin Credit: Scottish Government
The Scottish government has shelved its groundbreaking home heat decarbonisation legislation.
Gillian Martin, acting cabinet secretary for net zero and energy, said in a Scottish Parliament cost of living debate on March 11, that the Heat in Buildings Bill will not be published until she ‘can be satisfied that the interventions in it will decrease fuel poverty at the same time as they decarbonise houses.’
In 2023, the Scottish government consulted on proposals that all homes and businesses must have clean heating systems by 2045.
The consultation also included a controversial requirement that those purchasing a home or business premises to rip out their fossil fuel heating systems within as little as two years of completing the sale.
The latest exchange in the Holyrood Parliament follows a report in the ‘Scotsman’ that the Scottish government is reviving the idea of using hydrogen in home heating.
In an interview with the newspaper, first minister John Swinney said he is “very keen” on the home heating opportunities that hydrogen offers.
Responding to Martin’s announcement, Pablo John, head of external affairs at the Association for Decentralised Energy, said: ‘This short-sighted decision risks trapping households in a cycle of expensive, inefficient heating while wasting the clean energy we already produce.’
