Our story
Our founder, Chris was inspired to start a social enterprise after the birth of his first child, when he became acutely aware of the world they would be inheriting. Leaving his 18-year career in business, Chris went back to university to re-train, and ended up focusing on the decarbonisation of domestic buildings.
Loco Home Retrofit began with a vision: to make high-quality home retrofit simple, affordable, and accessible for everyone.
What started as a local service helping people based in the south of Glasgow, Loco Home has grown into a trusted service supporting homeowners and landlords across Scotland’s central belt. Along the way, we’ve built a team of expertise, refined our approach, and developed multiple services that puts people and performance first.
With domestic buildings and heating being a core contributor to Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions, Loco Home Retrofit aims to help households implement energy efficiency measures, and low-carbon heating systems, by breaking down the knowledge and cost barriers that many people in Scotland face.
Our services
Every home is unique, and so is our approach. Whether you’re upgrading your space or seeking financial backing, we lead you through the entire process.
We handle the heavy lifting: Whole Home Assessments, technical advice, low-carbon heating, and quality-assured installations. We connect you directly with the right expertise, funding options, and vetted contractors, making it simple to create a warmer, more energy-efficient home.
We do more than provide a service; we’re movement toward fair, future-ready living. And we’re just getting started.
WHat is loco home and how we help homeowners in scotland with retrofit
we support...
We support homeowners
Homeowners play a vital role in maintaining and improving Scotland’s housing—preserving heritage, enhancing amenities, and, crucially, integrating energy efficiency.
Loco Home helps households adapt to a changing climate by improving insulation, ensuring proper ventilation, and guiding upgrades that boost resilience to storms, heatwaves, and rising energy costs.
Our whole-home, fabric-first approach not only cuts emissions but also protects comfort, health, and wellbeing in a warming world.
As a trusted intermediary, Loco Home helps homeowners navigate their retrofit journey.
We support the local supply chain
Loco Home Retrofit is committed to strengthening the local supply chain because we believe the transition to low-carbon homes should also support local jobs, skills, and economies. We work closely with trusted local contractors, assessors, and installers—connecting them with homeowners and landlords in their communities.
By doing this, we help build long-term capacity for high-quality retrofit services in the region, keeping investment local and boosting community resilience. Supporting the local supply chain isn’t just practical—it’s a key part of building a fairer, more sustainable retrofit economy that benefits everyone.
We support communities
Loco Home supports projects that aim to reduce energy use and change how we heat our homes.
Domestic heating is a major source of carbon emissions—yet many homes are still cold, inefficient and expensive to run. By partnering with us, your project can help homeowners cut emissions, reduce bills, improve comfort and health, and build local skills for a greener economy.
We work with:
Local authorities – to help them meet energy efficiency, fuel poverty and sustainability goals by raising awareness of the benefits of home energy improvement.
Community groups – to strengthen local climate action by providing retrofit advice to homeowners and delivering engagement activities that boost participation.
advocating for change
We treat the climate crisis as the urgent emergency it is. To that end, our work contributes to a broader shift toward a zero-carbon future, helping people cut emissions while adapting their homes to a changing climate.
In fact, climate change already threatens our buildings—many of which carry significant heritage value. For example, stronger winds and intense rainfall make regular maintenance more critical than ever, while weather extremes like heatwaves and cold snaps make year-round comfort harder to achieve. Ultimately, these challenges will only escalate until we stop burning oil, coal, and gas.
At the same time, Scotland’s international net-zero commitments demand a revolution in almost every area of life. Decarbonizing home heating represents one of the toughest obstacles in this transition. However, achieving the lowest overall cost for taxpayers, bill payers, and homeowners will come from a balanced investment in both energy efficiency and renewables.
In light of these challenges, Chris Carus, Chief Executive of Loco Home Retrofit, recently responded to updates in the Scottish Government’s 2025–26 Programme for Government. While he welcomed certain progress, he warned that 2045 is far too late for full decarbonisation and urged ministers to direct households toward local one-stop shops like Loco Home.
Our aims
If you share our aims, consider becoming a member of our coop. Learn more about our membership here.
1. Households can easily access information and services to rapidly eliminate their carbon emissions.
2. Fairness is achieved.
3. Collective action is taken.
4. The supply chain is effective and trusted.
5. Carbon reduction strategies are created and shared
6. There is widespread awareness of domestic carbon emissions and of progress in reducing these
7. Glasgow and scotland’s economy is sustainable.
8. Carbon Reduction Laws, regulations and policies are created and implemented
Our Values
1. People first
We are proudly member-led and people-focused. We work with homeowners and landlords, not on them—offering advice, care, and hands-on support every step of the way. We promote agency, dignity, and informed decision-making, ensuring retrofit is something people feel ownership of, not overwhelmed by.
2. Comfort, health, and wellbeing
Retrofit is about more than just energy efficiency. It’s about creating homes that are warm, dry, healthy, and enjoyable to live in. We prioritise quality of life, supporting improvements that enhance day-to-day comfort while reducing fuel bills and health risks.
3. Low risk, no regrets
We take a planned approach—focusing on solutions that are cost-effective, long-lasting, and suited to each home. Our aim is to reduce risks for households and avoid costly mistakes or short-term fixes.
4. Climate responsibility
We treat the climate crisis as the urgent emergency it is. Our work is part of a bigger shift towards a zero-carbon future, helping people reduce their emissions while adapting homes to cope with the changing climate.
5. Community wealth building
We’re rooted in place. By working with trusted local suppliers, tradespeople, and services, we help grow the local economy and keep investment within our communities—supporting skilled jobs and long-term resilience.
in the media…
Articles
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24218841.retrofited-home-heat-pump—baby
https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/25231738.loco-home-helps-glaswegians-avoid-green-energy-scams
podcasts
https://www.localzeropod.com/episodes/adapting-our-homes-and-communities-to-a-changing-climate