Climate change is already a threat to our buildings, many of which have significant heritage value. Stronger winds and more intense wind-driven rainfall make proper maintenance more important than ever. Weather extremes such as the 2018 heat wave and the -10C cold snap in February 2021 make home comfort harder to achieve. These problems will continue to get worse until we stop burning oil, coal and gas.

Scotland’s international commitments to achieving net zero carbon emissions demand a revolution in almost every part of our lives. Decarbonising the ways in which we heat our homes is one the hardest parts of this challenge. The lowest overall cost to taxpayer, bill payer and ‘home maintainer’ will come from a mixture of investments in both energy efficiency and renewables.