No gas ban

Like many others, Ian Moir claims that it’s Holyrood’s policy to “phase out the use of gas” for the heating of buildings (Letter, 26 February).

In fact, Scotland’s Climate Change Act does not ban the use of “gas” or require gas to be replaced by electricity. The Act merely requires a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases (42 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050). This may mean the replacement of natural gas supplies by electricity, but it could also mean replacing methane by hydrogen, probably much cheaper than switching to electricity. Burning hydrogen does not produce greenhouse gases; it just produces water. STEUART CAMPBELL Dovecot Loan, Edinburgh