Loco Home members Kat and Iain welcomed a special visit from Paul Sweeney MSP, and Existing Homes Alliance director, Gillian Campbell, to see their air-source heat pump in action. Their home, built in the early 1900s, has become a living example of how even Scotland’s older housing stock can be transformed into a warm, efficient and low-carbon home.
Kat and Iain have already hosted over 50 visitors through Loco Home’s open home community events. For almost two years they have been sharing their experiences and helping neighbours see that clean, comfortable, fossil-free heating is both achievable and surprisingly affordable — even in older homes.
Throughout the visit, it was clear that the future of heating in Scotland isn’t just about technology — it’s about community, collaboration, and confidence.
“A friend mentioned her sister-in-law had just had a heat pump installed,” says Kat. “We visited Nina’s house, and they had done a full retrofit. They’d installed underfloor heating and a heat pump. That was amazing to see – that it was possible in this type of house.”
At this home visit, Nina recommended the couple contact Loco Home. In June 2023, Loco Home conducted a home assessment and kicked the project into a new gear with a series of recommendations. Loco Home also provided expert, tailored advice and helped alleviate any remaining concerns.
Building Confidence in the Clean Heat Transition
With fewer than 2% of Scottish households currently using heat pumps, the transition to clean heat remains in its early “innovator” stage — marked by high costs, patchy installer skills, and limited consumer awareness. This is where community-led intermediaries like Loco Home make a real difference.
By supporting householders through every stage of retrofit — from expert planning to contractor coordination — Loco Home builds confidence, protects consumers, and keeps wealth circulating locally. With over 300 cooperator members, the cooperative model ensures that the benefits of decarbonisation stay within communities rather than flowing to large commercial installers.
Whole Home Plans: Protecting Consumers and Homes
At the heart of Loco Home’s approach are Whole Home Plans — detailed, expert-led assessments that take a holistic view of each property. These plans prevent costly mistakes, such as poor ventilation following draught-proofing or unnecessary insulation upgrades, by considering how each element of a retrofit interacts.
They also include advice on resilience, helping households prepare for the growing impacts of climate change such as storms and heatwaves — ensuring homes are both low-carbon and future-proof.
Making Heat Pumps Affordable
One of the key barriers to adoption remains cost. Many households face inflated quotes due to unnecessary radiator, pipework, or insulation upgrades, often caused by misinterpretation of standards or a lack of installer expertise.
Through its Heat Pump Plan and trusted contractor network, Loco Home is helping households avoid these pitfalls and reduce costs by thousands of pounds, particularly in older homes. By sharing real-world examples — like Kat and Iain’s — Loco Home is proving that affordable, effective decarbonisation doesn’t have to involve excessive or inappropriate work.
A Call for Smarter Policy Support
While it’s encouraging that the Scottish Government recognises the value of independent retrofit advice, initiatives such as the proposed Heat and Energy Efficiency Technical Suitability Assessments (HEETSA) risk missing the mark.
The issue isn’t the lack of a standard — it’s the lack of a viable business model for expert, impartial advice. Free guidance from installers or public schemes can undermine the value of independent advice which goes much further. Instead of attempting to standardise professional judgement-based assessments, the government could focus on supporting trusted intermediary organisations like Loco Home that already deliver high-quality retrofit support.
Community Energy for a Fairer Future
The visit from Paul Sweeney MSP underscored a growing recognition of the value of locally owned, socially driven retrofit initiatives. By coordinating technical expertise, sharing lived experience, and putting people before profit, cooperatives like Loco Home are showing how Scotland can accelerate the clean heat transition — while building stronger, fairer, and more resilient communities in the process.
As Kat and Iain’s 1900s home proves, the future of heating in Scotland isn’t just about technology — it’s about community, collaboration, and confidence. Visit a heat pump with Loco Home and meet real people who have made real improvements!
visit a heat pump glasgow
visit a heat pump glasgow