National Public Energy Agency: call for evidence

Overview

The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 set legally binding targets for Scotland to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with interim targets requiring a 75% reduction by 2030, and 90% by 2040.

To achieve this requires transformational change in the way we heat our homes, workplaces and community buildings. As set out in the Scottish Government’s new Heat in Buildings Strategy, our vision is that by 2045 our homes and buildings are cleaner, greener and easier to heat, with our homes and buildings no longer contributing to climate change, as part of the wider just transition to net zero

As set out in the 2021/22 Programme for Government – and reaffirmed in the Heat in Buildings Strategy – we will establish a new dedicated National Public Energy Agency by 2025, to lead this transformational change.

The Agency will achieve this by taking a people-centred approach to delivery, supporting people and business to switch their heating systems and improve the energy efficiency of buildings, while working with the public, private and third sectors to ensure a coordinated approach across the wider heat decarbonisation delivery agenda in Scotland.

We are keen that the development of the Agency is a collective and collaborative effort, shaped by the input from a range of stakeholders across the public, private and third sectors, putting people first as part of its core values.

This call for evidence represents part of the first phase in a process of collaboration and co-development of the new dedicated Agency over the transition period up to 2025, to be shaped by the input from a range of individuals and stakeholder organisations across the public, private and third sectors. Reflecting this commitment, the content has been informed, in part, by considerations and points raised during an initial round of informal preliminary discussions with a mix of delivery partners, consumer, fuel poverty, and housing organisations.

A series of stakeholder engagement events will be carried out to complement this initial call for evidence during early 2022, and will indicate our plans for a broader formal consultation thereafter.

Call for evidence

This call for evidence represents the first stage of a series of collaboration and co-development of the new body that we will undertake over coming months and years.

We are seeking examples of previous and/or existing public bodies – or other organisation types – that have a specific delivery remit and successfully achieve significant change at a societal, sectoral, and/or infrastructure level through innovative programme design, leadership and coordination of the wider landscape. Examples of where this type of transformational change has been sought unsuccessfully through a national public body, and why, are also welcomed.

We are also seeking evidence of the value and opportunities presented by establishing a national delivery body of this type on a statutory footing, and/or where this might present challenges.

The evidence submitted will inform a number of topics to inform next steps in development, including:

• whether or not the new body should take on a regulatory role in line with planned legislation
• the governance, institutional form and functions of the dedicated Agency
• how people would like to contribute to the development process

Read the consultation paper

Why your views matter

The purpose of this initial call for evidence is to gather a broad evidence base to inform next steps in the design of the new body.

We want to ensure that the development of the new Agency is as open and transparent as possible. This means putting in place a process that is collaborative and based on co-development. We want to give stakeholders and individuals across Scotland the opportunity to directly help shape design of the new body so that it can best support and meet the needs of people - and organisations - throughout the heat transition to 2045.

What happens next

We will use the feedback from this call for evidence to inform further advice to the Cabinet Secretary concerning a set of key outstanding areas for a decision to be taken. This include issues such as whether or not the body should act as a regulator and how best the transition process within the existing delivery landscape can be managed.

The outputs will also then be used to form part of a starting pack of materials that will be provided to an upcoming independent Strategic Governance Partnership Board that will oversee the new virtual Agency as of September 2022. The Board will be able to draw on these insights to help inform development of the dedicated body by 2025, working closely with officials.