The Scottish Government released on the 11th of July a heat policy statement, subtitled ‘Towards Decarbonising Heat- Maximising the Opportunities for Scotland.’ It is true that decarbonising heat represents a significant opportunity for the environment and economy of Scotland- it offers similar opportunities in the UK and further afield as well. Ill-health caused by perennial cold, lost income spent on simply staying warm and destitution caused by poorly insulated houses can be addressed through improving energy efficiency and generating sustainable warmth.  In the Scottish context, it is welcome that the devolved Government is putting considered thought into policies which can secure advantage in green heat. All that remains to secure the aforementioned positive outcomes is for the Government to implement these policies with sufficient rigour.

Core to the Government’s position is a commitment to hold energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority. This is a policy tool which the Sustainable Energy Association has been campaigning to have implemented UK wide. It is positive news to see the Scottish Government make the first move toward delivering this ambition. The central engine to reach this objective is a policy entitled ‘SEEP’- Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Priority. SEEP seeks to improve the EPC rating of both domestic and non-domestic properties.

The actual mechanism of SEEP still needs to be laid out, however, and will be dependent on which powers are delivered to the Scottish Parliament in any constitutional changes which occur in the near future. The Smith Commission, which was set up to deliver recommendations on further devolution following the no-vote in the Scottish 2014 independence referendum, has recommended that the implementation of energy efficiency schemes be devolved but not the means and routes to finance energy efficiency measures.

Whichever Government – that in Edinburgh or that in Westminster– is responsible for delivering energy efficiency policy’s practical outcomes, it is clear that this policy needs to deliver best for consumers. To do this, policy consistency using regulation to deliver volumes of installations of energy efficiency measures and distributed generation technologies will be necessary.

The SEA is working hard to highlight policy routes to achieve this in Scotland, and across the UK. Already a number of energy efficiency measures can pay for themselves in a short period of time through delivering savings on energy bills. Installation and uptake of such measures – which will only save the national economy money- is something that should be encouraged or even mandated where appropriate. Such policies would be acknowledged as prudent, sensible and useful by those that benefit from them- when it comes to electioneering, these policies are shrewd and astute. Achieving recognition for pioneering these policies will be a political victory for whichever party takes the first substantive step forward.