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<\/p>\nThe Scottish Government has pushed back a ban on new gas boilers by three years from 2025 to 2028.<\/p>\n
The SNP-led administration made the delay as a ‘fairer and clearer’ way to achieve its decarbonisation plans.<\/p>\n
Patrick Harvie, the minister for Zero Carbon Buildings and Scottish Greens co-leader, announced the move as part of a new consultation on Net Zero proposals.<\/p>\n
It marks a change from the position in the Bute House agreement – the power-sharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens at Holyrood.<\/p>\n
In the agreement, the two parties pledged to phase out the installation of new or replacement fossil fuel boilers in off-grid properties from 2025, and in homes connected to the gas mains from 2030.<\/p>\n
But Mr Harvie, in a statement to the Scottish Parliament, said a single target date of 2028 had now been set for both on and off-grid homes.<\/p>\n
‘A single timeline that takes effect from 2028 will be fairer and clearer,’ he told MSPs.<\/p>\n
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The Scottish Government has pushed back a ban on new gas boilers by three years from 2025 to 2028<\/p>\n
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Patrick Harvie, the minister for Zero Carbon Buildings and Scottish Greens co-leader, announced the move as part of a new consultation on Net Zero proposals<\/p>\n
The Scottish Government’s move to alter its decarbonisation plans follows action taken by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in September.<\/p>\n
In his own U-turn on key Net Zero plans, the PM pushed back a ban on new diesel and petrol vehicles to 2035.<\/p>\n
He also promised a new exemption for around one-fifth of households from having to replace their gas boilers with low-carbon alternatives.<\/p>\n
But, in his statement to MSPs, Mr Harvie\u00a0sought to contrast the Scottish Government’s ‘ambitious’ plan for clean heating with that of the UK Government.<\/p>\n
He said all\u00a0homeowners will need to make sure their properties meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2033.<\/p>\n
The Scottish Government will also consult on plans to ensure all homes and buildings replace gas boilers with clean devices like heat pumps by 2045 at the latest, Mr Harvie added.<\/span><\/p>\n He told MSPs: ‘The timeline I’m outlining today sees Scotland on by far the most ambitious path within the UK, with the deployment of clean heating systems at scale and pace very much faster than the prevailing take-up rate.’<\/span><\/p>\n From 2028, private landlords in Scotland will need to ensure their properties meet the minimum energy efficiency standards, after which they will not be allowed to lease to a new tenant if standards are not met.<\/p>\n Homeowners will need to ensure their property meets these standards by 2033, although the Scottish Government is not proposing a ban on sales for those who do not.<\/p>\n The consultation document set out several requirements for the minimum energy efficiency standard – including 270mm loft insulation, draught-proofing and cavity wall insulation.<\/p>\n It said homeowners who install ‘as many measures as is feasible’ would meet the standard.<\/p>\n The Scottish Conservatives’ Miles Briggs said the Scottish Government had not worked out how much the average homeowner would need to pay to meet the requirements, saying some rural homes would face bills of more than \u00a330,000.<\/p>\n He said: ‘Patrick Harvie’s unrealistic and hugely expensive plan marks the start of a 10-year timebomb for over half of Scotland’s homeowners.<\/p>\n ‘This looks set to be a repeat of the fire alarms fiasco \u2013 but on steroids. He has a timescale but not a plan on how it will be achieved.<\/p>\n ‘And there is nothing to provide reassurance that ministers understand the true costs which homeowners the length and breadth of Scotland will face.’<\/p>\n Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur said the Scottish Government had ‘downgraded’ its plans to decarbonise buildings.<\/p>\n He said: ‘What was a clear mission to get one million homes onto climate friendly heating by 2030 has now gone.’<\/p>\n Mr McArthur said a Scottish Government scheme to upgrade private rented homes had only been used by 215 properties in three years.<\/p>\n