| Title | Description | Authors | Date | |
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The publication of the Scottish Government’s Draft Climate Change Plan is another stark reminder of the scale and pace of change that is needed to be in with a chance of mitigating the most dangerous effects of climate change. The draft sets out ambitions for carbon emissions reductions in the domestic and service sectors of 75% and 98% respectively. This means significant reductions in energy demand through building fabric energy efficiency measures, behaviour change as we use the buildings, and a switch to low carbon heat supply away from fossil fuel based natural gas and oil heating systems. |
Dr Ruth Bush and Dr Jan Webb | June, 2017 | ||
| With 74% of Scotland’s household energy use occurring through space heating, and another 13% through water heating, the built environment has to be part of any strategy for a more sustainable future. Indeed, the Scottish Government’s Energy Strategy seeks to make Scotland’s buildings near zero carbon by 2050, delivering this through Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP), which includes funding for the retrofitting of existing homes, and seeks to increase the adoption of low carbon heating solutions. However, in order to achieve the Energy Strategy’s ambitious target to achieve a ‘low carbon transformation’ in the built environment by 2050, it is important to think about the realities of delivering low carbon buildings. John Brennan, Programme Director for an MSc in Advanced Sustainable Design, considers some of the challenges | John Brennan | June, 2017 | ||
| Peter Zeniewski, Chancellor’s Fellow, University of Edinburgh, adresses how the Brexit will impact the Scottish Government's Engery Strategy. | Dr Peter Zeniewski | June, 2017 | ||
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'Retrofitting British homes to make them more energy efficient' |
The Scottish Government’s Energy Strategy suggests that, by 2050, Scotland’s domestic and non-domestic buildings will have undergone a ‘low carbon transformation’ – with a view to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and delivering a host of economic, social, health and regeneration benefits. Niall Kerr considers some of the reasons for retrofitting the British building stock. | Niall Kerr | June, 2017 | |
| Mags Tingey, Dave Hawkey, Ruth Bush and Jan Webb – Heat and the City Team researchers (University of Edinburgh), give their views on the Consultation on Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategies, and Regulation of District Heating. | Dr Mags Tingey, Dr David Hawkey, Dr Rush Bush, and Dr Jan Webb | May, 2017 | ||
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'Energy systems modelling: models and the real world' -
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Systems modelling has played an important role in the development of the Scottish Government’s draft Climate Change Plan and Energy Strategy, and is seen by the policymakers in Scotland as key enabler of its vision for policy integration. The kind of modelling adopted in Scotland has been used by many national governments, advisory bodies and international agencies in formulating response to energy policy challenges, especially climate change. Despite their widespread use, however, there are some basic analytic and pragmatic concerns, as Dr Chris Dent explores. | Dr Chris Dent | May, 2017 | |
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'The analytical and political challenges of integrated energy policy making in Scotland' -
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This is the first blog in the Energy and Society Network's series responding to the Scottish Government’s Energy Strategy. | Dr Mark Wiskel | May, 2017 |