Loco Home Retrofit CIC is a new co-operative in Glasgow providing advice to homeowners who want to make their homes more comfortable while also getting more energy efficient, ready for Net Zero.

The co-op officially launched in December and has been running a series of online events to explain what needs to be done to make our Glasgow homes healthier, warmer and low carbon.

Heat and energy for homes account for 31% of carbon emissions in Glasgow. One of the most important things we can do to reduce our contribution to climate change is to make our homes more energy efficient and ultimately no longer use gas for heating.

Chris Carus, one of the co-founders, says,

“Taking our homes to a much higher standard means more than just draught proofing and installing some double glazing, perhaps some loft insulation. Many homes will need wall insulation and floor insulation as well as efficient ventilation. Almost every home will need a new heating system. Retrofit means we are considering the whole home and the needs of the occupants while also ensuring the results achieved are meeting our targets and risks are well managed.” 

"But retrofit is difficult. It is complex, risky, expensive and disruptive. Home owners are finding it difficult to plan for retrofit and difficult to find trusted professionals to do the work, and there aren’t enough professionals such as builders and trades doing retrofit work. This is where Loco Home comes in. By building a co-operative of households and professionals we can learn from each other and make the retrofit journey a smoother and clearer road for everyone.”  

Membership in the co-op has grown steadily and the first meeting of Loco Home members took place in February. Fellow co-founder Tom Nockolds said,

“Being a co-operative, it is very important that we build our membership and give the members a genuine voice in determining what this new community based business delivers for Glasgow homes and businesses”.

Loco Home Retrofit will soon be launching an online discussion forum where members can discuss their retrofit challenges and success stories and plan the future development of the Co-op. They also plan to scale up their not-for-profit retrofit service to broaden access to many more households across Glasgow.

You can find out more by:

• Visiting their website
• Following them on Twitter
• Watching one of their videos
• Attend an event
• Join the Cooperative