Page 46 - February 2023

EXPERT ADVICE

Inside Scotland’s push for energy In terms of heat, make sure windows are of
high quality to increase insulation. Carpets are
efficient homes also excellent thermal insulators and can retain
as much as 10% of a room’s heat. If possible,
The Scottish Government has ambitious plans to introduce legislation to arrange rooms so that bedrooms and bathrooms
face north (with less sun) and kitchens and living
improve the energy efficiency of homes to eradicate fuel poverty and reduce
rooms face the sunnier south.
greenhouse gas emissions, but what does this mean for landlords and tenants?
While owners of tenement flats enjoy large
rooms, high ceilings and a wealth of period
e all want to live in a home that uses There have even been suggestions that “green features, this type of property can be harder to
as little energy as possible while mortgages” will be introduced, offering better keep warm than modern properties. If you live in
Wretaining as much heat as possible, mortgage deals to purchasers of energy a traditional flat, make sure your boiler is as new
particularly during the cost-of-living crisis, and efficient homes. as possible for maximum heat efficiency, and in “Lots of consultants are doing retrofitting
with Scottish Government legislation being Victorian properties working shutters are one of courses at the moment which make buildings
brought in, energy efficiency will become There is also a motion in Parliament to make it the biggest heat-saving things you can do. more energy efficient without damaging
increasingly important when selling or letting compulsory to have inspections of tenement the building. It’s a long-term solution to the
out your home. flats every year, as well as compulsory owners’ Can energy efficient homes be achieved problem but it’s all very new to everyone and
associations and a national reserve fund for by 2040? there are various courses like the one Historic
Energy Performance Certificate requirements repairs. With nearly a fifth of Scotland’s 2.5 million Environment Scotland are putting architects on.”
are closely linked with national efforts to reach
net zero and the government’s Energy Efficiency What simple changes can you make to homes being more than 100 years old, experts The Niddrie Road project in Glasgow has
Standard for Social Housing legislation is your home? have raised concerns about the timing of the received a lot of attention from the media and
expected to make them increasingly important If you have the option, opt for architecture and legislation. experts as it could set the standard on whether
when selling. Scotland can reach its target for net zero
design that minimises energy consumption. The Scottish Government estimates that
Consider renewable, non-carbon-based energy climate-changing emissions and fuel poverty.
Currently, all properties must have an EPC sources, like solar power. tenement flats emit 5.6 tonnes of carbon a
before the property can be advertised. If you year, compared with 3.6 tonnes for those built The project was funded by £445,000 from
have a Home Report, you will find a copy of since 1982. The rewards are much bigger for Glasgow Council, £517,000 from Southside
the EPC within this report. An EPC is valid for reducing the impact of older detached homes, Housing Association and £129,000 from the
10 years. EPCs rate the property’s energy at 17 tonnes. Scottish Government’s Social Housing Net Zero
efficiency from A (the most efficient) to G (the Heat Fund.
least efficient) and offer recommendations for Some 30% of 587,000 households in
improvements, with no obligation for sellers to tenements in 2019 were classified as fuel poor The eight flats at 107 Niddrie Road were empty
carry these out. by the Scottish Government. That means when the work began, meaning John Gilbert
175,000 households. Architects could plan an ambitious programme
What is the legislation? of insulation, repairs and renovation. The
Under Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Standard for Conservation architect Jo Parry-Geddes building was stripped back to a shell with various
Social Housing, all social landlords are expected says: “There are easy quick fixes – shutters, insulation techniques employed: pellets were
to meet Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) carpets, making sure the eaves are insulated. injected into the chimneys followed by liquid
Band B by the end of 2023. These are some We categorise buildings as pre and post-war. sealant to make sure they are air tight; thick
of the most ambitious targets in the UK (most 1950s-60s blocks are much easier to make cladding has been installed under the ground
successfully met the target of EPC D and C, efficient – the windows are where air escapes floor and the roof space and a 12cm wood fibre
dependent on housing type, by 2020). A target from the most and you get draughts coming in layer has been bolted into the internal plaster,
of eradicating fuel poverty by 2040 has also – you could install internal wall insulation but it where there are exterior walls. Triple-glazed
been proposed. would have to be done correctly. windows have also been installed.

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