Targets, emissions and fuel poverty
Dr David Kelly is an Associate Director of Construction Innovation at BRE. He has led the development of BRE’s Innovation Park @ Ravenscraig and the proposed commercial Innovation Park @ Shawfield. David is a member of the 2020 Built Environment sub-group and initiated the development of Retrofit Scotland.
Scotland’s carbon emissions reduction targets present significant challenges to the built environment, which accounts for 40%-50% of CO2 emissions. Today’s existing buildings, both domestic and non-domestic, will account for 90%+ of the building stock in 2050, when Scotland has to demonstrate a reduction in carbon emissions of 80%. In summary, retrofitting our existing building stock is the biggest challenge facing Scotland, if these targets are to be realised. It is not, however, all about targets and carbon emissions, as an increasing number of households in Scotland (currently around 1 in 3) are living in fuel poverty. Therefore, there are significant societal and health issues associated with the need for a well-considered and robust strategy for refurbishing our existing buildings.
No small challenge, but these stark realities have led Retrofit Scotland launched its new website www.retrofitscotland.org at the Base Glasgow event on 12 November. These activities emerged from the 2020 Built Environment Group and followed extensive engagement with academia, professionals and local authorities to identify best practice case studies on refurbishment. Presenting this information in a concise and accessible way through the new website was the initial goal of the Retrofit Scotland team. The objective is to create a platform to inform and share information on retrofit so that our national targets on carbon emission reduction and fuel poverty may be realised.
This is a Scotland-wide issue that needs the participation and support of all stakeholders. Retrofit Scotland wants to engage with all interested parties as quickly as possible to maintain the momentum which has developed in recent months. Visit our website www.retrofitscotland.org and get in touch [email protected].
