The Scottish Government is completing a consultation on the proposal to ban gas boilers in new buildings but they seem to be finding the most convoluted way of avoiding saying that’s what they are proposing.
There follows my contribution to that consultation.
Submitted to New Build Heat Standard: scoping consultation
Submitted on 2021-03-02 14:15:02
Chapter 1
1 Do you agree with the above key outcomes? Please explain your view.:
I agree with some outcomes, disagree with others, as follows.
DISAGREE – Outcome 1: Our new buildings no longer contribute to climate change
That is unrealistic because it would mean we’d be limited to building without cement and not allowing the buildings to use the gas or electricity network supply.
We need to build new buildings now and for all years until we have developed net zero cement, gas and electricity.
This is like putting the cart before the horse in a way which would sabotage new buildings.
DISAGREE Outcome 2: Reduced demand for heating and cooling
There is no shortage of renewable energy resource, just a shortage of capacity to tap that resource but we can erect many more wind and solar farms, biomass power stations, tidal, energy storage pumped hydro etc.
Flammable claddings and the Grenfell tragedy is where we got to with a short-sighted demand to reduce heating costs. It never works with stupid people in charge chasing targets that make no sense.
Whilst reasonable heat insulation is sensible, any new building will ADD to national demand for heating and cooling, inevitably.
The only building which REDUCES total national demand for heating and cooling is an extermination camp, because it reduces the number of people demanding heating and cooling. This is where the insanity of government by glib slogans will take us. Let’s not go there.
The Scottish Government would be wrong to follow the UK CCC – “Committee of Climate Chancers” (I call them) recommendation to ban gas boilers because only the fossil fuel natural gas is a problem.
Instead, switch the gas to renewable energy bio-methane and synthetic methane and/or green hydrogen from electrolysis so gas central heating can be net zero.
Another case of the ignorant UK civil service misled by ignorant clowns like stark raving bonkers Chris Stark leading the Scottish government up the garden path and painting it into a no-win scenario corner – just like the demolition of Longannet, that was needed to burn biomass for back-up power.
We will never get to net zero with such badly advised decision making.
AGREE Outcomes 3 to 9.
Chapter 2
Do you agree with limiting this Standard to ‘new buildings’ as defined within section 2.2?:
I DON’T AGREE WITH “Produce no direct greenhouse gas emissions at the point of use”
PERIOD.
Because that risks outlawing burning gas-network-supplied bio-methane and synthetic methane produced using only renewable energy.
Renewable energy methane is the same chemical as natural gas methane, so both produce the same chemical carbon dioxide.
The danger is that if the law were to define carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas this would then outlaw renewable energy methane.
Look the issue is this – the likes of Stark-raving-mad Chris Stark and Jim Skea-talks-keech and the rest of the Committee of Climate Chancers have told you to ban gas boilers.
That’s wrong. DON’T ban gas boilers, OK?
Don’t try to find a legalistic way of banning gas boilers in different words.
It is not the gas boilers that are the problem for climate change.
The problem is the gas that is supplied. We need to change the gas supplied from natural gas to renewable energy gas, bio-methane, and synthetic methane.
That change of gas supplied HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BUILDING.
It is not an issue for builders.
The issue is for the gas network companies like British Gas. They have to change the gas they supply, but NOTHING needs to change with the building.
It is not a building code issue.
You are barking up the wrong tree, OK?
You have been totally misled by the Committee of Climate Chancers. Stark and Skea need to be dismissed and you need to take MY good advice, not their bad advice.
CHAPTER 3
What are the key challenges for the energy networks regarding the deployment of zero emissions heating in new developments? How could this sector be supported to address those challenges?:
The challenges for the energy networks, gas and electric are to transition to supply using only renewable energy.
That’s the same challenge and the same supply whether to new or old buildings.
Like I said, this is not a building problem.
Sack the CCC – committee of climate chancers.
Don’t ban gas boilers. Ban Stark, Skea and the rest as government advisers.
The energy networks need my high quality scientific advice which they can get from my website
https://scottishscientist.wordpress.com/
and my twitter account
https://twitter.com/Scot_Scientist
The Scottish government can best help the energy networks by promoting my blog and twitter account from the Scottish government’s website etc.
Scottish Scientist 
Alan writes seeking advice about ground source heat pumps.
Sorry Alan, I can’t recommend a company that can do ground source heat pumps for customers in Scotland.
I often recommend Wikipedia for an introduction to most subjects.
Geothermal heat pump / Ground source heat pump
What’ll make it harder in Scotland as opposed to somewhere with a warmer climate is that Scottish houses virtually never need cooling technology, so you wouldn’t be able to recharge the heat you take out from the ground in winter with heat you put back into the ground in summer as cooling.
So you may have to depend on sunshine to rewarm the ground source in summer, so you’d ideally want a south facing slope that gets plenty of sunshine. Perhaps you could enhance that by using a solar water heater and using that to recharge the heat in your ground source in summer?
If you don’t get all the calculations right, then you’ll soon end up with a solid lump of ice for ground that won’t thaw out from one winter to the next and that will be the end of your ground heat source.
Do you really want to be a first adopter for this kind of thing? If so, good luck!
Personally, I just stick the gas central heating on and I’m waiting until the government incentivises British Gas to supply the gas network with biomethane and renewable energy synthetic methane instead of natural gas.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
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