From 1 December 2022, updated Scottish building regulations required new homes to achieve a 32 per cent reduction in carbon emissions and new non-domestic buildings a 20 per cent reduction, both measured against the previous regulations1. The Scottish standards were due to be implemented on that date, alongside a wider package of changes to the conservation of fuel and power rules2.
The Scottish changes share several features with the updates made in England and Wales. They introduced a Delivered Energy compliance metric alongside the existing carbon emissions standard, mandatory airtightness testing on all new homes, adoption of the SAP10 methodology, and tightened limiting fabric standards for thermal elements in new homes and work to existing homes2. Overheating risk moved out of the carbon and SAP assessments and into standard 3.282. The carbon reduction target is expressed as 32 per cent compared with the 2015 iteration of the standards2. The BESA timeline describes the same change as emissions reductions of 32 per cent in new homes and 20 per cent in new non-domestic buildings, against previous regulations, with a focus on reducing heating demand and on adopting low-carbon heating solutions such as heat networks1.
Heating system sizing rules also changed. Where that is not feasible, for example where there is insufficient space for larger radiators or the existing distribution system is served by higher temperature heat from a low carbon district heat network, the system should be designed to the lowest design temperature possible that still meets the dwelling's heating needs2. The low temperature requirements apply to space heating only2.
Boiler Plus requirements were also introduced in Scotland in December 2022 through inclusion in the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide, almost five years after they were introduced in England2. Gas boilers installed into existing systems should have an ErP efficiency of at least 92 per cent, and gas and oil boilers should be installed with time and temperature controls2. Replacement combi boilers should be installed with an additional energy efficiency measure, such as smart controls with optimisation and automation functions2. In Scotland, system and heat only boiler replacements must also include additional energy efficiency measures, not just combis as in England and Wales; these could include flue gas heat recovery, weather compensation, load compensation, or smart controls with automation and optimisation functions2.
"From December 2022, updated building regulations require emissions reductions of 32% in new homes and in new non-domestic buildings by 20%"
Why it matters for households
The rules apply to new buildings and to certain work on existing homes, so they shape what a newly built Scottish home contains rather than directly obliging existing owners to retrofit. The practical effect is that a new home built to these standards should need less heat to reach a given temperature, because the standards tighten fabric performance and require heating systems to be sized to run at lower flow temperatures2. For households, that bears on running costs and on how easily a property can later move to a low carbon heating source, which is central to a home's energy independence. The Scottish net zero target date is 2045, five years ahead of the 2050 target for England, Wales and Northern Ireland1, and the climate targets in Scotland sit behind the direction of these standards. The Scottish building standards and building warrant system governs how compliance is checked, and the separate New Build Heat Standard deals with heating in new buildings. Energy and buildings policy is devolved, as set out in energy and buildings policy in Scotland.
What happens next
The BESA timeline lists later dates for the UK as a whole, including a proposed rise in commercial Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to EPC Band C in 2027 and Band B in 2030, and a government target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 20281. Those are UK-wide proposals rather than Scottish building regulation changes, and no further Scottish building regulation milestones are given in the available material.