Scotland's renewable heat energy increases by over a third

More than one gigawatt of renewable heat capacity, which accounts for around 3.8 per cent of the total non-electrical heat demand, is estimated to be in operation in the country, says the report from the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The figures, covering heat from heat pumps (ground and air) biomass, waste and solar thermal, contribute to the Scottish Government’s renewable heat target of 11 per cent by 2020, along with its Heat Policy Statement, which aims to largely decarbonise the heat system by 2050.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing is pleased about what he calls a significant step forward to decarbonising heating.

He said: “We are committed in helping support households and business across become more energy efficient and use more low carbon and renewable heat sources.

“Meeting our target remains challenging, particularly as we don’t have the full range of drivers within our competence, however I remain confident the actions set out in the Heat Policy Statement will help drive the pace of change.”

The Heat Policy Statement, which sets out how Scotland might use less energy for heat, was published in June this year.