Homes need more work to meet targets

More than half of Dundee homes need substantial work if the city is to meet climate change targets.

At least 40,000 properties in the City of Discovery need improvements such as wall insulation and upgraded boilers, according to a report by energy supplier Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).

There are around 70,685 dwellings in Dundee.

The Scottish Government wants all possible homes to have a C rating for energy efficiency by 2035.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) system rates homes from A to G, with A being the most efficient.

The Natural Energy Company (NEC), based in Newport-on-tay, has been improving homes in the area for 15 years.

Director Jennifer Mclaren said the majority of homes they see could use a lot of work to improve their efficiency.

She said: “Reaching the government targets is going to be a challenge.

“I think there has to be quite a change in the behaviour of people towards insulation and there should be more funding from the government.

“A lot of the homes we see are at D or E rating so improving them to a C needs a lot of work.

“A C rating is about as good as some older houses can get, realistically.”

Mrs Mclaren said the simplest, yet most effective, step is to install insulation.

She said: “It helps trap the heat you are generating, in turn meaning you don’t have to generate so much.

“We see a lot of old houses and a bit of insulation does wonders for them. I would say it’s the first thing anyone looking to improve their EPC rating should do.”

She continued: “After that, I think looking into a heat pump is a good idea, but convincing people already on mains gas that it’s worth their while can prove difficult.”

Elizabeth Leighton, director of the Existing Homes Alliance Scotland coalition, said making homes energy efficient was “a win-win”.

“When all the work of it is done, homes will be cheaper to run, warmer and healthier — and it will help us tackle greenhouse emissions and fuel poverty,” she said.

“When we speak to the supply chain and installers, they say they are ready to expand their businesses to meet increased demand – as long as Scottish Government policy and funding puts in place a growing pipeline of work.”

Scotland’s ambition to transition to a net zero emission economy by 2045 represents a challenge. While there are sceptics who continue to challenge climate science and the need to follow the decarbonisation path, by declaring a climate emergency in 2019, Nicola Sturgeon put the environment and a cleaner, greener Scotland at the top of the agenda.

It would be wrong to say the wheels are not in motion towards a lower carbon future.

But they are turning slowly and, if a new report by Scottish and Southern Energy Networks is anything to go by, the scale of the task ahead is formidable.

A new study by the group found that in Dundee alone more than half of the housing stock needs substantial work in order to maximise potential power and heat efficiencies.

That equates to more than 40,000 homes in one city.

When multiplied out across the country, it is clear how big a job Scotland collectively faces in order to drive large-scale efficiencies and meet the targets on this front and very many others.

But if we are to hand down a better country to future generations, it is a task we must face up to and embrace.

WIN-WIN ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Elizabeth Leighton.