This plan which will show how they will make homes warmer across Britain. Most of it will apply to England and Wales, but some, relating to grant support for those most in need, will affect Scotland too. 

And – crucially – the plan is hoped to kickstart a Scottish Government who have gone very silent on their own plans to help those north of the border future-proof their homes. 

Late last year housing minister Mairi McAllan kicked Holyrood’s long-awaited Heat in Buildings bill way into the long grass – it’s parked now until after the May elections. It’s a crucial bill, because it’ll lay out how Scotland’s homes can moved off volatile gas and onto renewable, reliable electric power, tackling both fuel poverty and the climate crisis in one go.  

The excuse the Scottish Government have given themselves is to wait until we get the Warm Homes Plan from their colleagues down south. That’s a poor excuse as far as I’m concerned.  

We’ve been told that measures to tackle climate change, such as cutting carbon emissions from our homes, will make us poorer.  

Even this week, we’re still being told that ‘net zero could put lives at risk’. 

But the evidence shows that not only do Scots want action on climate change, but that the majority of those who have already taken the leap to low-carbon heating are reporting warmer, happier homes and – crucially – lower, more predictable bills. 

At Loco Home Retrofit CIC it’s our job to advise homeowners on the technology they need to cut carbon in their homes, and on the best contractors to do the work. The technology is improving all the time, but public knowledge of this is behind the curve.  

Consumers respond to what’s in the news, and climate change has receded in people’s minds because MPs and MSPs aren’t talking about it. But it’s still very much an issue. 

This month, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland published its response to Holyrood’s draft Climate Change Plan. The campaigning body said: ‘the draft … delays significant emissions cuts [in buildings] until after 2040, creating a cliff-edge scenario that risks supply chain bottlenecks, cost inflation, and inequities for households if action is compressed into the final carbon budget.’  

And the Existing Homes Alliance, which represents housing, poverty and climate organisations, said: ‘early action to accelerate clean heat and energy efficiency installations is essential to catch up on the time lost as a result of slow progress throughout this last parliamentary term.’ 

In other words, the longer we kick action into the long grass, the harder this task will get.  

While we wait for the governments to make plans for the next 20 years, there are no-regret steps towards lower bills and warmer, cleaner and more climate-resilient homes that anyone can take now. We even have a free retrofit guide on our website to help you get started.  

The technology and advice is out there. But politicians must be brave enough to support it. 

About the author: Chris Carus (MEng, MSc, Certified Passive House Consultant, PAS2035 Retrofit Assessor, AECB Carbonlite graduate, Heat Geek trained) Founder of Loco Home, Chris has 18 years experience in industrialisation, QA and supply chains with Procter & Gamble.
Experienced project and business leader. (Chris additionally has 10 years prior experience of community engagement as Community Council chair.)

Thanks to the Storytelling Exchange for their help