Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies Review

LHEES are at the heart of a place based, locally led and tailored approach to delivering the transition to climate-friendly, more energy efficient homes and non-domestic buildings. These local Strategies will underpin an area-based approach to heat and energy efficiency planning and delivery. They will set out the long-term plan for decarbonising heat in buildings and improving their energy efficiency across an entire local authority area. The Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (Scotland) Order 2022 came into force on 21 May 2022. The Order sets out a legal requirement for local authorities to produce Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies and Delivery Plans by 31 December 2023 and update them every five years. The Order was developed in partnership with COSLA and creates a clear statutory basis that will ensure consistency and comprehensive coverage across Scotland against a common minimum standard, raising the profile of local Strategies with industry and investors. To fulfil their statutory duty as set out in the Order, the Scottish Government has published LHEES Guidance, which sets out what is required in terms of the production and content of an LHEES. The Scottish Government has also made available to all 32 local authorities an LHEES Methodology, which is a more detailed, step by step approach, representing best practice in how to produce an LHEES. However the LHEES Methodology isn’t mandatory, local authorities are able to modify their approach to reflect local circumstances as long as they fulfil the requirements as set out in the LHEES Guidance. The Scottish Government is looking to appoint a supplier to deliver three objectives in relation to the review, summarisation and collation of all 32 local authorities’ Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies and Delivery Plans. Part 1 – Review of draft LHEES - The supplier will provide a review function for local authorities’ draft Strategies and Delivery Plans. Reviewing of the draft Strategy and Delivery Plan documentation against the expectations outlined within the LHEES Guidance. - The supplier will act as a critical friend providing feedback to local authorities regarding the quality and clarity of their draft and importantly whether it fulfils the requirements as set out in the LHEES Guidance. Part 2 – Review and summary of published LHEES - Once local authorities publish their LHEES (by the end of 2023) and building on any reviews carried out in Part 1 and any reviews done by others ahead of the contract award, the supplier will review all published Strategies and Delivery Plans against the LHEES Guidance and provide a summary report of all 32 local authorities’ LHEES drawing out key themes and actions that may need to be considered at a national level. Part 3 – Collation of data - The supplier will collate, catalogue and combine all relevant LHEES data from published strategies and delivery plans. The collation, cataloguing and combining of data will include: - Collation of data from all local authorities and from their published strategies and delivery plan documents. - Cataloguing of data, as a minimum, against the six LHEES considerations outlined in Annex A of the LHEES Guidance and also data associated with strategic zoning and delivery area zoning as defined in the LHEES Guidance. - Combining of data from all local authorities based into a national data set. The supplier may need to perform some conversions to the data formats provided to enable the creation of a national dataset of a single format.