Devolved government plans to bring in standard for all new builds
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland has warned that introducing a Scottish equivalent of the Passivhaus standard for new builds must not negatively impact the overall delivery of affordable housing.
CIH Scotland expressed “serious concerns” that the Scottish government’s proposal for all new builds to meet the equivalent of Passivhaus energy efficiency standards could undermine its target to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.
The Passivhaus Trust estimates that the extra cost of building to this standard is between 4% and 8%, a figure that has decreased since 2018 due to improvements in the assurance process, skills, and the supply chain.
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Responding to the government’s consultation on the proposal, the professional body said that while it supports improved building standards for new homes, changes to building regulations must be “cost effective” and deliverable “along with other priorities in the sector”.
CIH Scotland requested a full impact assessment before any changes are introduced, stating that its concerns are not addressed in the consultation.
The body said it agrees that any adopted standards should be an equivalent and not “carbon copies” of the Passivhaus standard.
The consultation response said: “A degree of flexibility will be required to ensure that high standards are met, but that they are also deliverable in different contexts and provide value for money.”
This is the first of two government consultations that will explore the technical, commercial and policy implications of strengthening building regulations as part of the Scottish Government’s climate action strategy to achieve net-zero by 2045.
The first consultation closed yesterday.
The Scottish government proposes introducing a new voluntary equivalent Passivhaus standard from 2026 with mandatory implementation from 2028.
Ashley Campbell, policy and practice manager at CIH Scotland said: “We fully support efforts to improve the standard of new homes and welcome alignment of standards across tenures.
“Everyone should be able to expect the same high standards regardless of whether they are a private tenant, a social tenant or a homeowner.”
Campbell added: “However, we have significant concerns about the potential costs associated with delivering this new standard and the impact this could have on a sector that is already struggling to build the new homes we need.”
She also pointed to the national housing emergency in Scotland, with rising homelessness and declining housebuilding rates in both private and social housing sectors.
In closing, Campbell said: “We would urge the Scottish Government to think carefully about the timing of any new standards which could have a negative impact on new housing delivery or provide reassurance as to how any additional development costs will be covered.”
In December 2022, the former minister for zero carbon buildings confirmed that the Scottish government would introduce legislation by 14 December 2024 in response to Alex Rowley MSP’s proposed Domestic Building Environmental Standards (Scotland) Bill.
The proposed bill aimed to set minimum environmental design standards for all new homes, similar to the Passivhaus standard, to improve energy efficiency and insulation.
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