[ad_1]
There also appears to be uncertainty within the government itself.
The Herald was told on Sunday that last week civil servants at Building Services told local authority inspectors – the people responsible for managing the building standards system – that stoves were not acceptable under emergency exemptions.
However, after news of the ban sparked a social media storm on Tuesday, the Scottish Government insisted that “woodburning stoves and other emission-causing heating systems can still be installed in new homes to provide emergency heating where required”. That makes sense.
read more: Scotland ban on wood-burning stoves in new buildings comes into effect
New regulations will require all new homes and buildings in Scotland to install “climate-friendly heating systems” and ban the use of direct emission heating (DEH) systems in any house applying for a building permit after 1 April.
In practice, this means that new homes and remodels must not use gas or oil boilers, or any form of bioenergy that produces electricity or heat from organic matter such as wood.
Instead, housebuilders are expected to use so-called zero-DEH systems such as heat pumps, solar thermal storage systems or thermal storage heaters.
However, the new regulations provide for exceptions for DEH systems that allow emergency heating.
Those applying for an exemption will need to demonstrate “the risk to occupants from normal heating system failures and the likelihood of such failures occurring (e.g., increased risk of power outages in remote rural areas due to severe weather).”
The regulations state that “In smaller buildings, including dwellings, there is little reason to install emergency heating systems as the heating needs in the event of a normal heating system failure can usually be simply and easily met by the use of a stand-alone portable heater” .
The Stove Industry Association noted this week that many portable heating solutions require electricity to function, making them useless during power outages, the emergencies people hope they can alleviate.
Writing in The Nation yesterday, the SNP’s Kate Forbes for Skye, Lochaber and Badenock said the wording on “what constitutes a state of emergency” was vague.
The former finance minister added: “The impact of a power outage is equally severe on every home, regardless of when the house was built.
“Modern homes that are well insulated may last longer, but with the power outages in recent days, even they may need a fire.
“You can easily spot new buildings when there’s a power outage – they’ll all be huddled around the bonfire in the garden trying to stay warm.”
read more: Explained: Are wood-burning stoves banned in Scotland?
Award-winning architect Ben Addy, whose practice Moxon is based in Crathie, said the proposals were “crazy”.
He told the Herald on Sunday: “The emphasis on using electricity to generate heat through ground source or air source heat pumps, heat recovery, all of those things are very good. That’s what domestic regulations should be.
“But I think the idea of basically banning stoves and fireplaces is wrong on many levels, and it’s a fundamental mistake.
“It was an unforced error because on the one hand you need some form of backup heat and in rural areas you have no other option unless they suggest the option for backup heat is to plug in a diesel generator and then power yourself up of electricity.
“That in itself is ridiculous.”
“For many people, fuel sources are local waste wood products, forest thinning,” he added.
“We’re not talking about Newfoundland’s forests being cleared, pelletized, shipped across the Atlantic and burned in power stations.
“We’re talking about locally grown and well-managed woodland in rural areas.”
He also said the cost of installing the stoves would effectively make any exemption redundant.
“To install a stove, you’re talking about a few thousand pounds for the stove itself, a few thousand pounds for the installation of the flue or chimney and everything.
“How realistic is this proposal for something that is only allowed to be used as some kind of emergency backup? Anyway, I don’t know how they regulate it.”
“This looks like a policy tailored to urban conditions,” he added.
Donald Macsween, a sharecropper and independent MP for An Taobh Siar Agus Nis in Lewes, said ministers were failing to take into account the cost of living in rural areas. Reality.
“You can build your new home with an air source or a geothermal heat pump or whatever, but what happens when it inevitably fails?
“What if something breaks down between Christmas and New Year’s when it’s hard to find people? What if the part you’re looking for has to come by ferry and we don’t know what the conditions are going to be like on the ferry? Like?”
“The problem I see is that no one in the room has a perspective or perspective like mine,” he added.
“You know, people who are from the same geographical area as me can say, ‘Wait a minute, what about this? How about that?
read more: Wood-burning stoves vs. heat pumps: emissions issues
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “There is no ban on the use of wood-burning stoves.
“The new-build heating standard only applies to new builds applying for a building permit from 1 April 2024. Under the standard, new homes can still be fitted with wood-burning stoves to provide emergency heating when needed.
“This recognizes the unique needs of rural communities in Scotland.
“Proposals for new building heating standards are subject to full consultation in 2021 and 2022, with strong support at both consultations.
“Heating our homes and buildings accounts for around a fifth of Scotland’s carbon emissions, so tackling the climate emergency requires us to address these emissions.
“That’s why the Scottish Government recently completed a consultation on plans to introduce clean heating systems in existing homes and buildings and is now considering responses.
“This consultation recognizes that bioenergy systems, such as wood-burning stoves, are a renewable and, in many cases, net-zero form of heating, which may be the best solution for some homes – particularly In the Scottish countryside.
“That’s why we’re asking for advice on how to ensure a flexible approach that still enables the use of bioenergy heating systems as we move towards net zero emissions.
“We will continue to work with and provide support to local authorities to ensure the regulations are implemented appropriately. This will enable us to identify whether elements of the guidance need to be reviewed where required – as part of the normal implementation process.”
[ad_2]
Source link