Rennie calls on First Minister to invest in sustainable heating technologies

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament during First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has called on the government to invest in sustainable heating technologies to cut emissions and meet climate targets.

Earlier this week, the Scottish Government announced that it would ban gas boilers in new buildings from April 2024. However, Mr Rennie indicated that several of his constituents have had gas boilers installed in their homes in recent years.

Speaking after the exchange, Mr Rennie said:  

“There are several new housing estates in my constituency which have had gas boilers installed in recent years. This is plainly idiotic given everything we are trying to do to tackle the climate crisis.

“I would like to see Humza Yousaf send his minister to discuss with the energy sector their concerns about the installation of gas boilers.

“More broadly, we need to ensure that we are investing in and using new heating technologies, such as air-source heat pumps. That may be hard, but the challenges we face are real and we need to get on with it.”