Motivation

​Our planet is facing serious problems. The Industrial Revolution triggered the environmental pollution as we know it today. Air pollution conveys to our mind visualisations of smokestacks shaping up black clouds into the sky, but this pollution comes in many forms. The combustion of fossil fuels also releases enormous volumes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Increasing levels of carbon dioxide are believed to be causing significant climate changes that can have far-reaching negative impacts on food, water and ecosystems throughout the world. Fortunately, in order to limit these effects, international agreements have been reached, the most recent being the Paris agreement in 2015, which aims to limit the global temperature rise to not more than two degrees compared to the pre-industrial period.

In Scotland, heating and cooling in buildings accounts for more than half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Accordingly, the Scottish Government has implemented targets to reduce these emissions. District energy is seen by the Government’s policy as a technology that could help achieve this target.

Poor energy efficiency in dwellings makes them very difficult to heat. This accompanied by challenging weather conditions, especially in rural locations, can make fuel bills very expensive, resulting in fuel poverty.

As defined by The Scottish Fuel Poverty Statement, fuel poverty exists when more than 10% of the household’s income is spent on fuel to satisfy the heating requirements.  To date, 35% of those living in rural parts of Scotland are likely to be living in fuel poverty as opposed to 30% in urban areas. Energy providers and fuel also tend to be more expensive, while income is relatively lower compared to the city. In addition, the types of fuels that are available in these rural communities lead to poor air quality as coal is used as a fuel source. ​
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​Fuel poverty is an area in which the Scottish Government is actively tackling. The main areas being addressed tackle the issues are: providing affordable access to a variety of different fuel types, improving housing and energy efficiency.