Background

The First Minister declared a Global Climate Emergency in April 2019 and announced that Scotland will be carbon neutral by 2040 and will emit net-zero emissions by 2045. The Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan update (CCPu), published in December 2020, set out the pathway to meet Scotland’s statutory greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2032.

With the transport sector being the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Scotland, accounting for 29% of all emissions in 2019, and road transport making up the majority of those emissions at 66% (Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics), we have committed to decarbonising transport in Scotland. Scotland’s ambitious climate change legislation sets a target date for net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045, with interim targets of 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040. In line with this, the National Transport Strategy 2 sets out the strategic vision for Scotland’s transport system and the national Mission Zero for transport aims to ensure people and places benefit fairly from the shift to sustainable, zero emission mobility. This underlines our ambition to deliver a healthier, cleaner and greener Scotland for current and future generations.

As part of this, we are fully committed to phasing out the need for petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. The transition to Electric Vehicles (EV) will contribute significantly to these goals and, with demand growing rapidly, we want people to have access to convenient and reliable EV charging infrastructure at home, at work and when out and about.

As part of this on 26 July 2021, the Scottish Government launched a consultation: Building regulations - energy standards and associated topics - proposed changes. Section 7 of the consultation sought views on the requirements we are setting out in legislation for the installation of EV charge points and enabling infrastructure in a new domestic and non-domestic buildings with parking spaces. Policy proposals consulted on are set out below.

New Residential Buildings

  • All dwellings with a parking space to have at least one EV charge point socket with minimum 7kW output power rating.
  • Exemption to requirement to install EV charge point if additional cost of electricity grid connection exceeds £2,000.
  • If exemption applies ducting infrastructure to be installed in each car parking space.

Residential Buildings undergoing major renovation

  • For buildings with more than 10 car parking spaces, ducting to be installed in each residential car parking space to support the future installation of an EV charge point (unless the cost of recharging and ducting infrastructure exceeds 7% of total major renovation cost).
  • EV charge points sockets to be installed, with minimum 7kW output power rating, in as many residential car parking spaces as the electrical capacity of building post-renovation allows.

New Non-residential Buildings

  • For buildings with more than 10 non-residential car parking spaces, 1 in every 2 non-residential parking spaces to have ducting installed and 1 in every 10 non-residential parking spaces to provide an EV charge point socket with minimum 7kW output power rating.

Non-residential Buildings undergoing major renovation

  • For buildings with more than 10 non-residential car parking spaces, 1 in every 2 non-residential parking spaces to have ducting installed and 1 in every 10 non-residential parking spaces to provide an EV charge point socket with minimum 7kW output power rating (unless the cost of recharging and ducting infrastructure exceeds 7% of total major renovation cost).

The building standards system in Scotland is established by the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (the 2003 Act). The system regulates building work on new and existing buildings to provide buildings that meet reasonable standards which:

  • secure the health, safety, welfare and convenience of persons in or about buildings and of others who may be affected by buildings or matters connected with buildings;
  • further the conservation of fuel and power; and
  • further the achievement of sustainable development.

Requirements applicable to building work are set through Building Regulations as a set of mandatory functional standards. These standards are supported by a body of guidance set out in Domestic and Non-domestic Technical Handbooks. This published guidance assists by defining the scope of action expected under each standard, providing one or more examples of how compliance with the standard can be achieved. Noting that the standards can also be met through use of solutions not included in published guidance. Standards are defined and applied at a national level.

Whilst the building standards system does enable flexibility in how compliance with standards is demonstrated, the current published Technical Handbooks do not provide alternative approaches based specifically upon the geographical location of construction work.

These new EV infrastructure requirements for new buildings, and those undergoing major renovation, will apply to all car parking spaces associated with buildings to which the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 apply. There are some limited building types that are exempt from the building regulations, such as a building where explosives are manufactured or stored.