Heating should be a part of building law, Scottish experts argue

Housing developers should be forced to consider low cost communal heating systems as part of a revamped set of planning rules, Scottish heat experts have argued.

Trade organisation Scottish Renewables says the move would slash the number of city households living in fuel poverty, and argue that Glasgow should follow into the footsteps of London, Manchester, Birmingham or Liverpool, where councils already require those building homes or offices to first consider affordable, low carbon alternatives to gas boilers or electric heaters.

The Scottish Government has set a target that 11% of heat should come from renewables by 2020 — the figure is at present 3%.

Stephanie Clark, policy manager at Scottish Renewables, said: "As a society, we take warm homes and workplaces and constant hot water from granted.

"But if we are to have any chance of meeting our 2020 targets, we urgently need to re-think our relationship with heat and the way it is generated, transported and used."

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