Estimated Price

£5,000

Summary

Description

As the global impact of carbon emissions become increasingly plain, the Scottish Government are moving to enact legislation to mandate house efficiency improvements and shift away from fossil fuel boilers. Key elements of their approach are for a legally binding limited time grace period, following a house sale, to replace a boiler for a non-polluting solution by 2024; and to mandate insulation bringing properties up to EPC C standard within the next 10 years.

The primary route for green heat in homes is anticipated through Air Source Heat Pumps. This demands some £900million anticipated investment in insulation retrofits across Perth and Kinross, averaging £20K per house, followed by the purchase of the heat pumps and associated radiator upgrades.

There is no visible source of funding for this – it is expected that householders will receive a mix of grants and substantial loans to enable the work. This will increase debt levels at a time when many are struggling with monthly budgets.

The sole alternative to this, described in the Government plans, is to implement District Heating Networks (DHNs), using a network of pipes to deliver heat from energy centres. This would not mandate owner occupiers to invest in insulation or clean heat on an individual basis.  Commonplace in Europe, especially Denmark, these offer a route to much higher efficiency heating of communities, leveraging industrial scale heat pumps and renewable sources.  While the government targets for carbon reduction are solidly in the right direction, despite the potential benefits, ambition for DHNs is limited in ScotGov and Perth and Kinross Council (PKC), to city centres and council owned properties – doing little for hard pressed families or businesses in many places like Kinross and Milnathort. There is scope to broaden the reach of such systems.

CATCH, as a community group, has been working to develop options for a broader DHN for Kinross and Milnathort, reaching out to the motorway and the 30mph signs, offering affordable heat to everyone.

Such a scheme would include:

• The pipe network,
• Heat extraction from the Loch system, likely its tributaries,
• A solar farm to provide electricity to drive big heat pumps,
• Storage elements, both thermal and electric to increase flexibility and resilience.

Following extensive research and expert advice we are confident that this is plausible.  As plans crystallise, we are engaged with PKC, finding the door open for evolution of their thinking. Historically our basic utilities have been sold to foreign investors. At CATCH we are passionate to find ways to assure that any financial surplus from delivering the basic need of heat, should be reinvested to improve the system, reduce pricing of energy, and deliver other benefits in the towns, building community wealth rather than giving it away. Such a scheme has potential to save some 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

Politically, our Councillors are behind this, from PKC, Community Councils along with our local MSP. An ongoing series of Newsletter Articles and talks are raising awareness and support from the community.

At this point we need funds to support deeper consultation, with residents and businesses, but also to get good advice about how to shape an organisation which can maximise benefit for the community.  We would like to initiate a community share offer to fund a significant solar farm, assuring that there is local ownership of a key piece of the jigsaw. We can leverage a relatively small sum with other sources to maximise progress.

Against the backdrop of what appears to be another underperforming COP28, we do have options to work together to put right some of the wrongs done to our planet, while assuring fuel poverty is reduced fast.