Scotland today unveiled its first national target to improve energy efficiency and a £10 million package of insulation measures for households.
The Energy Efficiency Action Plan, which First Minister Alex Salmond outlined at a meeting of the Energy Advisory Board in Edinburgh today, sets a target of reducing total energy consumption in the region 12% by 2020.
The Plan will be backed up by £10 million in grants for local councils to provide free insulation and energy saving advice to up to 100,000 households. The funds add to the £15 million announced last month for the region’s Home Insulation Scheme, which offers free and discounted energy save measures through the Energy Saving Trust.
By 2020, the improvements could also save Scottish households an estimated £2 billion in reduced energy bills.
The effort will be a key part of reaching the region’s target of a 42% cut in CO2 emissions by 2020, along with boosting renewable electricity to 80% of total consumption.
“Just as we will be at the vanguard of the renewables revolution, we must also help lead a revolution in energy efficiency – tackling demand and improving the efficiency of our homes, transport systems and energy use right across the public and private sectors,” says Salmond.
The public sector should work on improving the energy efficiency of its buildings, he says. The Scottish Government will lead the way by publishing weekly energy consumption figures for its headquarters starting next spring.
“Today’s Action Plan reaffirms our ambitious energy efficiency and microgeneration agenda for Scotland,” says Salmond.
However, Ian Marchant, convener of Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group, cautions that improving energy efficiency will require a “major raising of our collective game”.
“Plans are good,” he adds, “but delivery is what matters and that is the test that we must all now pass.”
That delivery could be hampered unless there is a step-change in funding for energy saving measures, says the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE), which gave a cautious thumbs-up to today’s plans.
“The Scottish Government must reintroduce its successful domestic energy efficiency loans scheme and boost funding for the Energy Assistance Package and other energy saving schemes without delay,” according to ACE’s Chas Booth.