Scottish building regulations support renewable energy installations and energy efficiency measures.
Public sector planners and social landlords should attempt to exceed the minimum requirements as the rules are changing and will require greater energy efficiency in future.
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Changes to Scottish Building Regulations
Section 6 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations, which deals with energy, was consulted on in autumn 2009, with a view to introducing new building regulations that reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30% beyond current standards in 2010. It is expected that further requirements will be introduced in 2013 and 2016.
It is therefore a good idea for your organisation to prepare for these changes now by designing new dwellings and refurbishing existing properties that go beyond the minimum outlined in Section 6 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
It is a particularly good idea to ensure that high levels of insulation and air-tightness are achieved. This will, in the future, make it easier and cheaper to further reduce emissions by replacing heating systems and other services than by trying to improve insulation levels.
Local authorities have the opportunity through their building control and planning departments to ensure that current building regulations are enforced, and to encourage developers to build energy efficiency into their planning phase and reduce the total carbon dioxide emissions from dwellings.
A wide range of guidance and other publications is available from the Energy Saving Trust to help local authorities and housing associations to go further than minimum regulatory level and to achieve compliance. Some of these are detailed on our page of useful publications for building professionals.
Further help and information
If you have a query relating to sustainable energy in housing contact the Practical Help team on 0844 84 888 30.
