The Act Part 5 – Other Climate Change Provisions Chapter 3 – Energy efficiency.Duty of Scottish Ministers to promote energy efficiency
112.Section 60 requires the Scottish Ministers, within 12 months of the section coming into force, to publish a plan for promoting energy efficiency and improving the energy efficiency of living accommodation in Scotland. Under subsections (5) and (6), Ministers are required to review the plan at least every 3 years. The plan must set annual energy efficiency targets and describe how those targets are to be reported on. The plan must also include details of how the Scottish Ministers intend to update planning and building regulations to ensure that all new buildings avoid a specified and rising proportion of the projected greenhouse gas emissions from their use, calculated on the basis of the approved design and plans for the specific building, through the installation and operation of low and zero-carbon generating technologies.
113.Following a review, the Scottish Ministers must in accordance with subsection (7) publish the plan if the review results in changes to the plan.
114.When preparing a plan and when varying it after a review, subsection (8) requires the Scottish Ministers to have regard to the contribution that improvements to buildings and changes in building standards can make to improving overall energy efficiency and lowering carbon emissions in Scotland.
115.“Energy efficiency” is defined in subsection (9) and includes the use of (a) technologies (other than those used for the production of heat) reliant on renewable sources of energy, (b) materials and equipment the manufacture or use of which produces or involves lower emissions of greenhouse gases than other materials and equipment, and (c) surplus heat from electricity generation or other industrial processes for district heating or other purposes. “Fossil fuel” and “renewable sources” are also defined in subsection (9).