Work begins on new framework for energy improvements to Scottish buildings

The Scottish Government has appointed consultant AECOM to design a framework that will give people ‘tailored, building-specific advice on what improvements could suitably and safely meet future energy standards’.

The Scottish Government said the new approach, known as the Heat & Energy Efficiency Technical Suitability Assessment (HEETSA), is intended to go much further than traditional Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). While EPCs are widely used, they often provide standardised recommendations that don’t fully reflect the technical realities of Scotland’s diverse buildings.

The government said:

HEETSA will bridge that gap, offering improvement measures that are more suitable, more practical and genuinely tailored to individual buildings.”

AECOM said it will work until spring 2026 reviewing how retrofit assessments currently operate across Scotland for both homes and communal buildings to ‘identify what works, where advice is patchy, and what needs improving – so future recommendations are consistent and reliable, ultimately building much needed consumer confidence in the retrofit market.’

The review will also set out who can carry out HEETSA assessments – including the qualifications, training, experience and standards assessors must meet to ensure advice is trusted. It will also look at clearer ways to present the findings so ‘policymakers can turn HEETSA into a straightforward national assessment that home and building owners can use.’

This forms a key part of the Scottish Government’s wider Heat in Buildings Programme, which is supporting households and commercial properties with retrofit advice, funding opportunities and, in time, future regulations. With buildings currently accounting for around a fifth of Scotland’s emissions, clearer guidance will help people understand the most suitable steps they can take as the country moves towards its legally binding 2045 net-zero target, the government added.

David Ross, Regional Director, AECOM said:

HEETSA has the potential to be a significant step in how Scotland supports people to make their homes and shared spaces more energy efficient. It’s an opportunity to give property owners advice they can genuinely trust, tailored to their building, clear in its recommendations and grounded in the realities of Scotland’s diverse housing stock.”