Heat, Housing and the Future of Net Zero Homes 2025

Bringing together delegates from local authorities, housing associations and the Scottish Government, this event will set out key areas of focus and action needed to deliver a future of truly sustainable Net Zero homes. 

Tackling the housing emergency requires a joint approach between the UK, Scottish, and local government, and housing providers.

As the Scottish Government considers revising its 2030 emission targets, this panel will hear from various government representatives on why collaboration is crucial to achieving Scotland’s housing and climate goals.

Scotland’s housing emergency is growing and the need for urgent action is critical. 

110,000 houses were proposed to be completed by 2032 in the 2021-2022 Programme for Government. Between 23 March 2022 and 30 June 2024, 22,743 homes (21% of the target) had been built. The number of completed homes was 17% lower in the year to the end of June than in 2023.  

Our panellists will discuss how we need to balance the need for energy secure homes with a housing market in crisis and ask what more needs to be done to lay the foundations for a sustainable housing network.

On 31 July 2024, the Scottish Government published a consultation determining the principles for a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard, considering changes to the standards and processes set within The Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004.  

It is one of very few times the Scottish Government were challenged to compare their national standards to a best practice voluntary standard. 

Our panellists will explore how innovative heat and building initiatives like Passivhaus can be adopted to help Scotland achieve their 2045 Net Zero targets.

Policy aimed at facilitating the goal of net zero by 2045 cannot succeed without the right skills and people in place to deliver it.

Upskilling is now required to progress towards net zero housing, and fast. As the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan 2020-2025 is about to reach its deadline, this is also a crucial opportunity to reflect on its impact, what the future of training looks like, and what steps need to be taken to secure a net zero future.

This panel will explore how training methods, investment, and policy frameworks need to adapt to match the demand for net zero housing.

The New Build Heat Standard outlines requirements that buildings proposed from 1 April 2024 will be future proofed by using clean heating systems which will not require future retrofit. But what about existing buildings? 

Our panellists will examine the challenges and strategies associated with retrofitting Scotland’s existing housing stock to meet net zero standards. It will focus on financial challenges, practical approaches, innovative techniques, and policy support needed for successful upgrades.

According to the 2024 Heat in Buildings Progress Report, in 2019, 25% (613,000 households) of homes in Scotland were in fuel poverty. In 2022, the number rose to 31% (791,000 households). Fuel poverty is not inevitable, so how can this transition to energy efficient homes tackle it head on? 

This panel will examine how the current funding landscape is supporting the transition whilst protecting those in need by evaluating what models work well in alleviating fuel poverty through case studies, research, and statistics, and what needs to be improved. 

With the allocation of public funding models like Home Energy Scotland Grants, and the introduction of large, promising energy companies like GB Energy, the Scottish Government has started to pave the way to achieving net zero, however, with their net zero goals being declared unachievable until 2045, these models and strategies still need to be pushed further.

In this session, our panellists will focus on how public funding mechanisms and strategies to support the transition to net zero homes can be improved and expanded.