We published the following short article in the 2023 Spring Newsletter :-

HEAT PUMPS IN THE AVENUESWe understand that there is on offer a £5,000 grant towards the cost of replacing a domestic boiler if the replacement is a new style heat pump, instead of a gas or oil boiler. However, we have been informed also that a company recently carried out an inspection in the Avenues and concluded that the houses in the Avenues are not compatible with heat pums, whatever that means. We had an informal arrangement to receive an explanatory report from the company in question which we could have included in our website. The report has never appeared and, if anyone has any further information about this they are invited to bring this to our AGM at Heart of Scotstoun from 7.30 pm on Wednesday 28th June or else to send the informsation by email to info@scara.co.org .

Then we received the following email which corrects some of the content of our Newsletter article-:

Dear SCARA,

One of our members highlighted the attached piece about heat pumps in your newsletter. We are the company that was in touch with SCARA and one of your residents earlier in the year. It seems there has been a breakdown in communications and I would like to correct a few things. Loco Home is a small startup non profit co-operative of households in Glasgow. We are working to make it easier for households to do their part in mitigating the climate crisis, while also making their homes more comfortable and less expensive to heat.  We are not an installer and instead we provide independent expert advice.All types of homes are suitable for heat pumps as this independent and large scale study has made clear. However they are expensive and sometimes poor installer standards lead to poor performance. We had a very small amount of funding to explore our idea of taking a collective approach in a neighbourhood to create economies of scale and provide independent expert advice to protect households. We studied one house in the Conservation Area in depth and provided a detailed report to that household. That report set out the steps they should take to install a heat pump. However we were forced to remove Scotstoun from the scope of our study because of funding constraints. We instead focussed on two neighbourhoods in the Southside. We deprioritised Scotstoun because there is less in common between the different houses than the terraces we were working with in the Southside, reducing scope for economies of scale. The Conservation Area further complicated things. None of that should suggest that "houses in the Avenues are not compatible with heat pumps, whatever that means".In Scotland there are grants of £7500 plus 0% interest loans as well as grants of £7500 for insulation. These are available via Home Energy Scotland. Unfortunately we didn't hear about your newsletter until today, after your AGM. My colleague Tom is on holiday so perhaps you didn't get a response from him when you were drafting your newsletter. If there will be another opportunity to set the record straight we would welcome it gratefully. Further, we would like to hold an event in Scotstoun where residents can hear more about the work we carried out. Could you help by suggesting a venue that we could hire and helping to raise awareness of the event?Thank you.

Chris Carus

Loco Home

The happy conclusion appears to be that the houses in the Avenues may well be compatible with the fitting of heat pimps and that grants may be available and we might have a meeting with the experts to provide us with further information and guidance and, if so, we will report on this page. Watch this space.

MS

20th November 2023 Now follow the link below for an update on the requirement to fit heatpumps :-

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5dc6a17a-7a0e-4f56-b80a-5183d4d6729e?shareToken=7c22614ec19ef45b4eb171f26878214c

Proposals to replace fossil fuel heating with clean heating and improve energy efficiencyClean heating systems will replace polluting heating systems in Scotland’s homes and buildings by 2045 under proposals published today.Under legislation to be introduced in 2025 which will start taking effect later in the decade, those buying new homes or buildings would be asked to move to a “clean” heating system, such as a heat pump or connection to a heat network, within a fixed period of time following that purchase.Of the UK nations, Scotland continues to have the most generous funding package of grants and loans available to households who are seeking to switch to clean heating systems.Minimum energy efficiency standards for Scotland’s homes could also be introduced to make them warmer and less expensive to heat.Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie said:“Heat from our homes and buildings represents around 20% of Scotland’s carbon emissions. So there is no route to meeting our legal duty to be a net zero country by 2045 without making the heat transition. Making this transition can also liberate households and businesses from volatile fossil fuel prices.“There will be no ‘one size fits all’ approach to what we’re proposing – we recognise that different types of buildings in different areas need different solutions – but today we are giving certainty to households to plan and clarity for businesses to invest, with a pathway which recognises the cost pressures that so many of us are currently facing. “We’ve already passed regulations for new buildings, to apply from next year. If Parliament passes our Bill in 2025, then regulations will start to apply from 2028, with many more buildings moving away from fossil fuel through the 2030s. That will see Scotland on by far the most ambitious path within the UK, with a deployment of clean heating systems at a scale and pace very much faster than at present.“The UK Government has the opportunity to match our ambition by using its reserved powers to take urgent action to reduce the price gap between gas and electricity, and by regulating energy companies to play their full part in this transition.”  The consultation also includes measures to encourage the development of heat networks – giving those constructing these vital systems the confidence they need to invest on the basis that there will be sufficient demand.The proposals follow this year’s introduction of a new build heat standard which means that any buildings constructed under a new warrant from April 2024 must have a clean heating system.Background The Scottish Government is asking for views on proposals to form part of a Heat in Buildings Bill as set out in the Programme for Government.Proposals include:

• That private rented homes will be required to meet a minimum energy efficiency standard no later than 2028;
• That owner-occupied homes will be required to meet the same minimum energy efficiency standard by the end of 2033;
• That all homes and non-domestic buildings will be required to end their use of polluting heating by the end of 2045; and
• In order to create a smooth trajectory towards 2045, that those purchasing a home or non-domestic property before 2045 would be required to end their use of polluting heating systems within a specific period following that purchase.

Also published today are proposals for a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard that would require social landlords to meet an energy efficiency standard between 2033 and 2040 and install clean heating across their stock by 2045 where it is technically feasible and cost-effective to do so.Consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings BillSocial Housing Net Zero consultation

SCARA  Heat Pumps  5/12/2023 – Meeting 66 Queen Victoria Drive Tom Nockolds and Michael Sheridan.

 This was a general discussion around the nature or and requirements for heat pumps and their suitability for houses in the Scotstoun avenues. Tom Nockolds is the co-founder of the non-profit co-operative Loco Home Retrofit which deals with sustainable, green heating systems and who has recently given advice to householders in the Avenues. Loco Home is a co-operative whose members include home owners, tradespersons, and building professionals. Loco Home provides advice and support to households seeking to reduce their energy consumption while making their homes healthier, more comfortable and more resilient. Tom explained that whole home retrofit (home energy renovations) could broadly be described as having three aspects – ventilation, insulation and heating. In relation to heat pumps, it is advisable to consider all three elements. When considering any retrofit measures, including heat pumps, it is important to take a whole house approach.  Otherwise, the heat pump may be under or oversized or other lower cost and higher impact measures could be overlooked for houses such as those in the Avenues. Our own research indicates that in orderto receive funding under Home Energy Scotland (grant and/or interest free loan) your heat pump or solar PV installation must be Micro generation certificate Scheme( MCS) certified.  That appears to be relevant industry standard but that can be checked online.Tom explained that traditional buildings such as those found in The Avenues require careful treatment to ensure moisture does not build up, thereby causing problems such as rotting wood. The best materials tend to be natural or traditional and are breathable (vapour permeable). A good example would be wood fibre insulation which can be used in lofts, under floors and as wall insulation. Tom advised that heat pumps can and do work for these types of houses, as several Loco Home members living in similar stone buildings have had heat pumps installed and now have a lower running cost that with previous gas boiler but it would be necessary, first of all, to carry out a detailed survey and create a whole house plan to include appropriate ventilation and insulation. Loco Home Retrofit knows of houses similar to those in the Avenues and which successfully use heat pumps for heating. The first thing would be to obtain a detailed survey in order to establish ventilation on and insulation requirements for each particular house. Such a survey might cost around £400 or £500, taken in isolation but, for example, if Loco Home where to take on a joint instruction for, say, 20 houses in the Avenues then that might significantly reduce the cost of individual surveys. Loco Home is engaged for the first quarter of 2024 but would be interested in receiving such an instruction after that time. Tom explained that the most common type of heat pump circulates hot water and therefore can make use of existing central heating pipes. Another type of heat pump circulates hot air but is less common and often better suited to smaller properties or a single-room in a larger house. Tom described also the possibility of a district heating scheme such as Clyde Gateway which operates a water to water system for communal heating of multiple houses. This might apply to a whole  neighbourhood.  Any members of SCARA who would like to discuss any of the issues surrounding heat pumps or who might be interested in a joint instruction for whole house surveys should send an email to that effect to info@scara.org.uk  with the subject matter Heat Pump Project and, depending upon the interest received, the Scara committee will decide how best to take the matter forward. Over to the membership. 

As noted by Michael Sheridan.