Footnotes
1. This research was originally commissioned by Communities Scotland, a Scottish Government executive agency, which was abolished on 1st April 2008.
2. http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/otcs_016723.pdf
3. http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/pdfs/Low_Carbon_Building_Standards_Strategy_For_Scotland.pdf
4. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/30153156/0
5. For the purposes of this study, rural locations are assumed to have no regular access to public transport and to be supplied either by mains gas or LPG.
6. Discounting to net present value is a common financial appraisal method used to represent different cashflows over time on a like-for-like basis, taking into account the time value of money. It is based on the principle that £1 invested today is worth more than £1 invested at some time in the future (taking into account inflation). Future cashflows are therefore 'discounted' to their net present value using a standard 'discount rate'. For public sector financial evaluation the Treasury Green Book recommends the use of a 3.5% discount rate.
7. For rural locations with no access to mains gas, it is assumed that the primary heating system will be fuelled by LPG. LPG boilers are available with equivalent efficiency to mains gas boilers and our modelling has demonstrated that the levels of CO 2 reductions generated will vary little between mains gas and LPG. The cost implications of using LPG in lieu of mains gas are discussed in a later section of this report.
8. The energy figures are based on energy delivered to the building rather than energy at source, i.e. power stations.