We welcome energy efficiency measures – but ministers must heed our concerns

As the pressure keeps building on us all to reduce our energy use, the government is having to respond quickly with measures not only to help consumers to cut down, but also develop new and more sustainable energy sources which are less harmful to the environment and less reliant on foreign importation.

Last month the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched its £1bn Energy Company Obligation+ (ECO+) scheme to deliver energy efficiency measures in homes across the UK between 2023 and 2026. The government hopes the initiative will see hundreds of thousands of homes receive new insulation, saving consumers around £310 a year.

Ministers add that ECO+ will extend support to those in the least energy efficient homes in the lower council tax bands, as well as targeting the most vulnerable. Furthermore, a new £18m advertising campaign will offer the public advice on how they can save on their bills without sacrificing comfort.

As a professional body with tens of thousands of members stretching across the construction industry spectrum, we at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) have, with other organisations, long called for the government to develop a strategy for retrofitting the country’s least energy efficient homes. We therefore welcome the ECO+ scheme, just as we did the news about a forthcoming energy efficiency taskforce which was announced during November’s autumn statement.

>> Also read: Why everyone’s getting excited about the new energy efficiency taskforce

We do, however, urge the government to learn from past failures, such as the green homes grant, and get the details right if it genuinely wants to take the most vulnerable people from fuel poverty.

Consumer confidence in schemes such as ECO+ is vital and hugely dependent on several factors, including the systems available to check who is eligible for the support, how they register their interest and how they source the appropriate people to carry out the work.

Confidence will also be defined by the standards of the people undertaking retrofit work, along with the tools and materials they use. Jobs carried out to a poor standard by untrained and inexperienced workers will tarnish the reputation of our industry which already sometimes struggles with a “cowboy” image.

A negative experience with a tradesperson can leave householders reluctant to have more work done in the future, even if it will benefit their property. It is imperative they trust that work on their homes is not only safe and will not cause problems further down the line but will also deliver the energy and cost savings so many people desperately need while having the wider knock-on effect of helping us towards our net zero targets.

Our concern is that schemes rolled out at speed without the necessary planning and funding could lead to the lowering of standards, with disastrous consequences for those living in retrofitted homes

The only way to do this is through the use of competent professionals and ensuring that a workforce with access to the right training is available right across the country – a “postcode lottery” situation must not arise. The built environment sector is already facing a large skills shortage and the roll-out of any schemes which will add to demand has to be well planned and properly funded for the long term, in conjunction with industry representatives and professional bodies such as the CIOB and education providers.

Recruitment and training must not simply focus on retrofit installers but also on designers and assessors if we are to maintain the standards set out in PAS 2035 and raise them. Our concern is that schemes rolled out at speed without the necessary planning and funding could lead to the lowering of standards, with disastrous consequences for those living in retrofitted homes.

Properties across the country vary greatly particularly in terms of their age and the materials they are built from, so it is important that ECO+ is not simply a one-size-fits-all scheme. The insulation suitable for a 1990s semi-detached home, for example, will almost certainly will not be suitable for a Victorian terrace. Particularly in the case of wall insulation, using the wrong tools or materials can do more harm than good.

Careful consideration must also be given to traditional buildings and how they are insulated, as they make up around a third of our housing stock and require a case by case approach.

Without proper assessments of buildings, it is not known how safe or appropriate certain types of insulation are and people need to have the confidence that any so-called improvements being made to their homes will indeed be for the better and not cause problems in later years. Mould and damp can occur if the wrong combination of wall insulation and loft or floor insulation is installed.

So a “whole building approach” – as recommended by PAS 2035 – involving assessment, design and installation by competent and accredited experts will go a long way to removing some of the risks, but it is important that those who are accredited are trained to the right standards.

It is important that any scheme like ECO+ is not delivered in isolation and is part of a wider strategy to increase levels of retrofitting

Attracting and retaining such experts is, in itself, a challenge and again it relies on a plan which is funded for the long term. We need people to enter the retrofit profession as an assessor, designer or installer with confidence that there will be a steady stream of work and the government will not change its mind, introducing and then abolishing  scheme after scheme as has previously been the case.

It is also important that any scheme like ECO+ is not delivered in isolation and is part of a wider strategy to increase levels of retrofitting. For example, introducing changes to stamp duty to incentivise investors to buy, retrofit and sell on properties in a “green flipping” model or to encourage homebuyers to retrofit their own properties.

The government’s consultation on ECO+, which closes on 23 December, is welcome but it is vital the responses of those from within the construction sector are taken on board and their voices heard. This scheme cannot be something the sector has imposed upon it. Rather, it must be something the sector and government collaborate on for the good of the environment and those struggling with cold homes and unaffordable energy bills.

Eddie Tuttle is director of policy, external affairs and research at the Chartered Institute of Building