Historic Scotland joins European project to tackle CO2 emissions

28 September 2012

A new European-wide project to cut carbon emissions from properties in historic urban districts by upgrading traditional building fabrics to modern standards is being supported by Historic Scotland.

The European Commission has committed more than €6 million to the EFFESUS (Energy Efficiency for EU Historic Districts’ Sustainability) project, which also aims to help member states meet stringent targets for cutting energy consumption.

Historic Scotland is one of 23 partners from 13 countries participating in the scheme, which will target historic properties individually and together, and also examine energy supplies from renewable sources.

Senior Technical Officer at Historic Scotland, Carsten Hermann said: “Participating in EFFESUS is a brilliant opportunity for the agency to support our government’s aim of making Scotland a world leader in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.”

Two Scottish industry partners have joined Historic Scotland in the project – the Proctor Group, a specialist insulation manufacturer from Perthshire, and Dennis Rodwell, a cultural heritage consultant based in the Scottish Borders.

Historic Scotland will support data collection, and provide policy and technical advice on heritage conservation issues, as well as participating in outreach activities.

The agency will also work with Glasgow City Council to co-ordinate a case study project trailling upgrade techniques on traditional properties.

Mr Hermann added: “This work will follow on from some of our recent upgrading work, including a project on tenement flats in Govan.”

The EFFESUS project will carry out its research work over the next four years, and has a budget of €6.7 million. Historic Scotland’s share of the fund will be €128,000.

Notes for editors

1.Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government charged with ensuring that our historic environment provides a strong foundation for a successful future for Scotland. The agency is fully accountable to Scottish Ministers and through them to the Scottish Parliament.

2.To register for media release email alerts from www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/news. If you wish to unsubscribe at any time, please email hs.website@scotland.gsi.gov.uk   

3.The Year of Creative Scotland began on January 1, 2012 and will spotlight and celebrate Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths on a world stage. Through a dynamic and exciting year-long programme of activity celebrating our world-class events, festivals, culture and heritage, the year puts Scotland’s culture and creativity in the international spotlight with a focus on cultural tourism and developing the events industry and creative sector in Scotland. More information about the programme can be found at: www.visitscotland.com/creative

4.The Year of Creative Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL. More information and resources to help businesses engage with Year of Creative Scotland are available at  www.visitscotland.org/yearofcreativescotland-toolkit