There has been an update to Scotland’s New Build Heat Standard (NBHS), with the Scottish Government adjusting aspects of the NBHS, temporarily reversing the ban of ‘direct emission’ heating systems in new build homes.
This means that wood-burning stoves, multifuel stoves, and pellet stoves will now be permitted for installation in new build properties across Scotland. The original legislation prohibited these installations, except in specific exemption cases such as when they were deemed as ‘emergency heating’.
This temporary reversal has come about following feedback from industry, stove owners, and concerned rural communities. The ambiguity of the ban was raised when the NBHS came into force on 1 April 2024, and rural communities were pinpointed as being disproportionately affected.
Scottish Government listened to the voices of those the ban would affect most – such as installers, manufacturers, and homeowners – and announced a review on 28 May 2024. The aim of this review was to assess how the NBHS could remain adaptive and avoid any unintended consequences.
Scottish Government intend to conclude this review by the end of September 2024 and have chosen to temporarily enact that the NBHS will not apply to a number of heating systems. The new Direction will apply to any warrant applications for domestic buildings made since 1 April 2024, allowing for potential adjustments to be made.
Further information can be found in a letter to councils from Alasdair Allan, Minister for Climate Action.
Where the NBHS does not apply
Scottish Government have released the following list of systems that the NBHS does not apply to:
“wood burners and other bioenergy (and peat) heating systems (under the temporary direction)
heating systems used in industrial processes
emergency heating systems
heating the sole purpose of frost protection
alterations or extensions to buildings built under a warrant applied for before 1 April 2024″
It is important to note that ‘wood burners and other bioenergy’ are listed with the caveat that the NBHS does not apply ‘under the temporary direction’. The reversal and all other actions included in the Direction will be revoked following the completion of the review by September. Whether this will result in a permanent reversal of the ban or a different direction is currently unknown.
