GAS central heating that produces carbon emissions is set to be banned from all newly built homes in Scotland by 2025.

The Scottish Government has launched proposals for all new build homes to have heating systems that produce zero direct greenhouse gas emissions amid its pledge to become a carbon neutral country by 2045.

If approved, all heating systems in all new buildings given consent from 2024 will be built to zero emission standards and achieved from 2025 at the latest.

The UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has recommended the 2025 timescale for moving away from direct emissions from heating homes.

Scottish ministers have launched a consultation for views on the new build heat standard plans which also include ensuring new homes and non-residential buildings are affordable to heat, supporting the delivery of a continued supply of high quality homes and offer opportunities for retraining and upskilling workers to install zero emissions heating systems.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “The pace of decarbonising Scotland’s domestic and non-domestic buildings has to increase significantly to achieve our targets on climate change. The new build heat standard will be an important contribution to this to ensure emissions from heating and cooling our buildings fall close to zero.

“We want to combine the action we need to meet the challenge of the climate emergency with our ambition to provide affordable, warm homes. We are seeking views from stakeholders on the most effective way to introduce this Standard to ensure it is deliverable and fit for purpose.”

The Scottish Government has set out its stance that heat generated by electricity or district heat networks would produce zero direct emissions. More evidence is being gathered on other technologies that could produce zero emissions or close to zero direct emissions.

Hydrogen boilers could potentially be considered, with the CCC recommending 2025 as the timescale for transitioning boilers from natural gas to hydrogen.

The committee has also recommended that sales of gas boilers should be phased out by 2033, except in zones designated for district heat or hydrogen networks.

Edinburgh City Council has already made a commitment that its own new housing stock will become carbon neutral.

READ MORE: Gas heating to be banned from new council homes in Edinburgh

Professor Lynne Sullivan, zero carbon building expert and chair of the chair of the Good Homes Alliance, co-chaired the Scottish Government’s new build heat standard working group.

She said: “We recognised the priority for new buildings to achieve higher efficiency and be ready for zero emissions heating sources, in line with Scotland’s world-leading climate commitments.

“We welcome the consultation on new homes, and believe the targets are achievable with existing technologies at scale. Delivery will unlock long-term economic benefits as well as future-proof Scottish homes.”

But the Scottish Greens have called for more urgency from ministers.

Scottish Greens housing spokesperson Andy Wightman said: “The housing minister is right to say that the pace of decarbonising homes needs to increase, but the fact is that Scotland lags well behind many normal European nations on this.

"New homes should be required to meet passivhaus or other net-zero standards, and public funding should no longer be used to subsidise high-carbon heating systems."

He added: “Meanwhile, if we recognise the pace of change needed we have to also recognise that a quarter of homes in Scotland face fuel poverty every year.

"We need a target on all homes with a programme of deep-retrofits of fuel poor households and social housing, which would create thousands of jobs in the process.”