MANY people living locally have told a survey they would consider a green mortgage to improve the energy efficiency of their home.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has shared the results of a public survey on the retrofit of traditional buildings, with 83 per cent of people in South Scotland supportive of green mortgages which include specific incentives for retrofitting.
Heating buildings currently accounts for around 30 per cent of the UK’s emissions. In Scotland, traditional buildings – those constructed before 1919 – make up a significant proportion of overall building stock, including approximately one in five homes.
Experts say improving the energy efficiency of these buildings through retrofit will be crucial for achieving national net zero targets.
But the research found that for respondents in South Scotland, the biggest perceived barriers to retrofit are capital cost, access to capital funding and planning permission.
Also, 68 per cent of people in the area said they would be put off purchasing a traditional property due to these perceived barriers.
However, the results suggest that increased support would encourage retrofit, such as green home grants or VAT exemptions.
Commenting, Dr David Mitchell, from HES, said: “Retrofit of our traditional buildings can bring many wider benefits if done properly to protect the special character of these buildings that give local places their unique identities. There are also huge potential economic benefits and new employment opportunities to be realised through ensuring our existing building stock is in a good state of repair and that retrofit measures are technically sound and effective.
“We have over 4000 years of traditional building experience in Scotland – our heritage and traditions are integral to our future success.
“The results of this survey show that while there is some concern regarding the perceived barriers to retrofitting traditional properties, people care about increasing the energy efficiency of these buildings and understand the importance of doing so in order to meet national net zero targets.”
The results of the survey come as HES announced its plans for a new national centre for the retrofit of traditional buildings. The Retrofit lab will put heritage science and research at the heart of its approach to developing best practice for the retrofit of traditional buildings.
