RICS hosts inaugural Green Home Festival in Scotland

RICS last week hosted the first ever Green Home Festival, which saw 250 delegates sign up for five days of in-person and online events on sustainability and decarbonisation.

Opening the festival at the RICS Scotland office at 10 Charlotte Square, Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie MSP said Scotland faced a “monumental but essential task” in improving the energy efficiency of its old and complex housing stock. Vice Chair of the RICS Scotland Board, Sandra Cummings MRICS, and other members also had the opportunity to network and talk with the Minister about the role of surveyors in enabling a transition to net zero.

The festival, held from 8-12 August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), with members hosting discussions on a range of topical subjects, including demystifying heat pumps and retrofitting a tenement.

A range of online webinars are also available to watch again here, including:

• Protecting against floods;
  
• Using sustainable materials;
  
• Transforming a listed museum;
  
• Taking the Swedish view;
  
• Mitigating climate change; and
  
• Hitting the road with EVs.
  

The Minister added: “By 2030, we want to see a large majority of homes achieving a level of energy efficiency at least equivalent to an EPC C – with all homes meeting that standard by 2033, where feasible and cost effective. This will reduce emissions from our buildings, but it will also help make our energy more affordable, by removing poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty.”

“Meeting our 2030 target means that we need over a million homes and the equivalent of 50,000 non-domestic buildings to switch from fossil fuels. This is a huge transition, affecting communities, businesses and homes across Scotland.

“Getting there will need a much faster installation rate for these zero direct emissions heating systems. In recent years that rate has been around 3,000 homes annually, but we need to reach around 200,000 each year in the latter part of this decade.”

The festival was the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Made up of 29 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing advice and guidance, hosting webinars, and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.

For further information, please contact Scottish Public Affairs Lead, Euan Ryan at eryan@rics.org.