Harvie: Watering down heating in buildings law would be environmental vandalism

Ministers will be committing “environmental vandalism” if they drop or water down legislation aimed at changing the way buildings are heated.

Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie said he was “very concerned” by the “increasing speculation” that the Scottish Government’s proposed Heat in Buildings Bill could be “diluted, delayed or dropped.”

As a minister in the Scottish Government, Harvie played a key role in drawing up the legislation, which set out proposals that would require homeowners to switch from “polluting” heating systems such as gas boilers to more environmentally-friendly alternatives like heat pumps.

With the Greens no longer part of the Scottish Government, the acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gilliam Martin said last month she was redrafting the Bill so it also helps tackle fuel poverty.

Ministers are redrafting the proposed Heat in Buildings Bill so it can tackle fuel poverty. (Andrew Matthews/PA). PA Media

Harvie, however, insisted that “measures in this Bill could play a crucial role in supporting households to make the shift” to greener ways of heating their homes, and would also give industry “the clarity it needs to invest”.

Speaking ahead of a statement on the Bill on Thursday at Holyrood, the Green MSP added: “I am very concerned by the increasing speculation that it will be diluted, delayed or dropped.”

He said: “To do so would be an act of environmental vandalism and a blow for household budgets, our economy and our environment.”

Harvie said that keeping people “stuck on gas” for heating was not only “bad for our planet” but also required households to “fork out while the fossil fuel companies post record profits”.

He added: “We are already way behind where we need to be in terms of tackling fuel poverty and our transition away from fossil fuels.”

Harvie added: “Scotland is also losing out on good quality green jobs. Heat pump manufacturing is seeing global growth, but Scotland has seen investment go elsewhere.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Both the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary have said that we will introduce a Heat in Buildings Bill when we are satisfied that the interventions in it will be able to decrease fuel poverty at the same time as they decarbonise houses.

“We will confirm next steps as soon as practicable.”