Update on Heat in Buildings Strategy
By Cassandra Dove, SFHA Research and Policy Lead.
Following its initial publication in October 2021, the Scottish Government has, this week, issued an update on the Heat in Buildings Strategy (HiBS), providing an update on progress over the last year. This includes a breakdown of the £1.8 billion spending commitment for the current parliament and an overview of the key delivery programmes.
For the social housing sector, this includes an update on the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund which commits to making at least £200 million available to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) until 2026. To date the fund has awarded grant funding of almost £17 million to 24 social housing projects across Scotland. Since being introduced, an additional ‘energy efficiency’ funding stream has also been added and is expected to run until March 2024.
The update has also been published alongside new guidance for Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES)* which each local authority must have in place on or before 31 December 2023. The strategies are to be accompanied with delivery plans which will be developed in partnership with key stakeholders, including RSLs, in order to provide a strong basis for action and identifying areas for targeted intervention and early, low-regrets measures.
*Please note that SFHA will be hosting a webinar for members in the new year, focussing on LHEES and the implications for social landlords. Booking details will be available on the Live! Events section our website in due course.