A revolution in how we heat our homes in Scotland has started.  We are beginning to disconnect our homes from the gas that has warmed many of the country's buildings since the 1970s. 

Arriving in its place comes the heat pump and the heat network. The advent of these technologies has been slow, with only 6,000 heat pumps installed last year. But it is coming and is a particularly key element of how we in Scotland can reduce emissions and fight climate change.

Over the past few years The Herald produced ground-breaking coverage of the politics, industry issues and research behind the shift taking place. 

For The Herald's fifth special series this year, Heat Pumps: Myths, Truths and Costs, we decided to look beyond the political debate, dig into the research, talk to the experts, and track down stories of people who have installed and lived with heat pumps.

Day Four

Can the national grid take heat pump Scotland? Or will the lights go out?

A gargantuan shift lies ahead in Scotland's electricity demand. Hundreds of thousands of homes connecting up heat pumps, just at the same time as increasing numbers of drivers are switching to EVs and looking to charge up. The question is... can the grid take it?

Cheap bills and clean heat: Why Norwegians have fallen in love their heat pumps

There are lots of reasons why our neighbours to the east have bought in to a technology still viewed with suspicion by some Scots. David Leask investigates.

Why windfarm link up could lower electricity costs, says heat pump expert

Professor Dave Pearson has a vision for how the Scottish Government could help bring down the cost of electricity for large-scale heat pumps – and it involves a private wire running from a wind farm out to the big heat pump. Vicky Allan investigates his perspective.

100,000s heat pumps targeted, 1000s of fitters needed. Can Scotland get skilled up?

Estimates exist  for the number of installers that Scotland will neeed to train up if heat pump targets are to be hit. One is from Nesta, which has calculated that, by 2033, 4,000 installers could be needed, a 15-to-20-fold estimate. But another estimation suggests a 48-fold increase. Vicky Allan finds out if Scotland can handle it.

The Herald: Can the national grid take heat pump Scotland? Or will the lights go out?

Day Three

Let there be light: how a tiny west coast island led the way in renewable energy

Until February 2008, if the people of Eigg wanted to do anything that required power – whether popping on the toaster or watching television – they mostly had to a rely on dirty and expensive diesel generators. It was the first time renewable resources had been integrated into a grid system designed to supply an isolated and scattered small community. Sandra Dick tells the pioneering story.

Lord Haughey: 'Heat pumps are not the solution. The solution starts with insulation'

“Heat pumps are not the solution. The number one thing is insulation. Let’s insulate, especially the old stock - and then the modern stock is easy", argues Lord Willie Haughey.

How much CO2 does a heat pump save? And what about the emssions in its manufacture?

The amount a household’s carbon footprint is slashed by shifting to air-source heat pump would depend on how the system is run, and its efficiency, as well as what the emissions of the fuel and efficiency of the system switched from. Vicky Allan investigates.

Home buyers 'simply aren't ready to pay this premium' for heat pumps

Industry experts suggest that regulations banning the installation of oil and gas heating systems in new-build properties in Scotland will lead to fewer homes built at greater cost to developers and residents, Kristy Dorsey reports.

The Herald: Carbon footprint of heat pumps

Day Two

Meet the heat pump geeks who are retrofitting their homes and what we can learn

Some people are more than just advocates for heat pumps, they've turned it into a whole hobby, experimenting and retrofitting their homes to make the most of the technology. Meet the geeks who are diving into the world of heat pumps.

Heat pump or heat network home? Working out which one is yours

It has been estimated that district heating could provide 20% of UK heating by 2050. That possibility introduces a key question for most homeowners: is their property likely to be a heat pump home, or one connected to a heat network?

'They'd have to kill me to take my stove out'. Why Scots love their wood burners

The wood burning stove, for many who have them, is about more than just heat. There is an emotional element to its appreciation, a romance. That is one of the reasons why, when news spread in March that the Scottish Government had banned stoves in new builds, the reaction was so fiery. Vicky Allan looks into the advocates of wood burning energy.

'If wood burning stoves are phased out, I'll lose my shop. And it's not just me.'

Workers in the wood burning stove industry have said that “thousands of people” will lose their jobs if the government phases out wood-burning stoves, Vicky Allan explains.

Day One

How we heat our homes is changing. Why The Herald is investigating heat pumps

Heat pumps are coming. Whether these will be giant heat pumps warming district heat schemes, smaller individual air-source heat pumps, or networked ground source heat pumps fuelling streets or buildings, the chances are that in the coming years a heat pump will become part of your life. That's why The Herald has dedicated our latest series to home heating. Vicky Allan explains.

How noisy are heat pumps? Testing the decibels on the 'window rattlers'

One of the most frequently heard concerns about air source heat pumps is that they are noisy. A school in Norfolk was ordered to turn off its heat pumps because of complaints from neighbours about the noise. Famously,  Lord Willie Haughey, founder of City Facilities Management Holdings, called them “window rattlers”. But are the noise from heat pumps really an issue? We put it to the test.

Decarbonising Scotland's tenements. Can you fit a heat pump in an old flat?

There’s a prevailing belief that air-source heat pumps aren’t an option for older tenements. Just how true is this, and how can those that live in older tenements help to decarbonise?

Ultimate heat pump explainer: Truths, myths, costs – and can they take our cold?

Vicky Allan takes on the frequently asked questions, the myths, the costs, and dispels the spin on heat pumps in this ultimate explainer.

'Road to net zero requires Scot Gov to offer clarity to consumers'

Dr Nicholas Harrington, who is involved in research investigating the decarbonisation of the UK's domestic heating, makes a case for clarity from the Scottish Government regarding new net zero initiated heating methods.