Renewables Heat 1% Of Council Buildings

Despite £8m of local authority investment, only 1% of council owned buildings are heated by renewable energy.

That is according to the results of a new study, described as 'underwhelming' by industry experts.

It highlighted Fife as being ahead of the curve - A biomass boiler has heated Dunfermline business centre since 2002, the longest of any council.

There are 225 schools, 17 leisure centres, 17 care homes and 63 other public buildings across Scotland heated by renewable energy.

Stephanie Clark, Policy Manager for Scottish Renewables, said:  "More than half of the energy we use in Scotland is in the form of heat, but we are failing to make the most of our renewable technologies, as these underwhelming figures show. 

"While Scotland has made great progress in the development of renewable electricity, the heat sector continues to lag behind. As of 2014, the proportion of heat demand met by renewable sources stood at an estimated 3.8%, against a 2020 target of 11%. This leaves us well below the European average.

"Our key ask from the heat vision document has to be for the continuation of the Renewable Heat Incentive – the mechanism which supports the uptake of heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal, for example. The document also identifies other challenges which must be addressed if we are to have any chance of hitting that 2020 target."