Around £10bn is needed to carry out a massive programme to bring homes across the Glasgow region up to energy efficiency standards needed to tackle climate change.

The Glasgow City Region Cabinet has identified that around 430,000 homes in the Greater Glasgow area need work to improve their energy rating to bands A-C.

A huge drive creating potentially thousands of jobs is being planned for over the next ten years to help reach Scotland’s climate change targets.

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Energy inefficient homes is considered to be a major contributor to greenhouse gases.

The work would involve insulation and also converting homes from gas powered central heating to energy saving heat pumps.

 

Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council said it was an example of Glasgow’s priorities being global priorities.”

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Writing in the Glasgow Times, she said: “Feasibility work has begun on the work needed to make hundreds of thousands of homes across the Glasgow city region more energy efficient, reducing both greenhouse gases and fuel bills and creating jobs over the next decade.

“It’s an identical challenge I’ve heard from city leaders from across the UK, Europe and the world many times. Whether it’s the need to reduce emissions from transport, or combine social and economic recovery from the pandemic with how we address climate change, Glasgow’s priorities are also global priorities.”

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The costs associated with carrying out the work are high and funding from government would be necessary but officials recognise that homeowners will probably have to bear some cost for their own property.

The Scottish Government has allocated £1.6bn for energy improvement schemes over the next five years.

The shortfall can be seen in their estimate that £33bn is needed across the country. It is also being explored how the private sector could be sued to contribute funding

Paul Wheelhouse, who was energy minister before the election said of the scale of the projects: “This cost cannot be borne by the public sector alone. We will establish a new Green Heat Finance Task Force to identify innovative solutions to maximise private sector investment, and find new ways to help individuals and organisations spread the upfront cost of investing in making their properties warmer, greener and more efficient.”

Paul Kilby, regional partnership manager for Glasgow City Region, said: “By 2035 all properties should be energy rated C or higher. Just now 55% are below that.We have a lot to do in the next nine years.”

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He said that just now it is estimated that between 4000 and 5000 are being retrofitted each year. He said that need to increase to tens of thousands each year.

He said: “It is a big challenge but also a big opportunity for creating jobs and meeting climate change targets.”

Colleges will also have a role in helping ensure there are enough people with the skills to carry out the work.