The government has suspended 39 businesses that installed poor-quality solid wall insulation using publicly funded energy efficiency schemes.
Routine checks carried out by independent quality body TrustMark uncovered cases of substandard solid wall insulation fitted under the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS).
Around 65,000 households have had solid wall insulation installed under these government schemes since 2022.
Examples of botched jobs include missing or incomplete paperwork, insufficient ventilation, and missing or exposed insulation, which could lead to damp and mould if left.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said that while “this is a serious issue”, it does not consider it “a widespread threat to safety”.
Minister for energy consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh told MPs yesterday (23 January) that TrustMark found a “very small number of cases” of health and safety issues, such as wires not fitted properly. Fahnbulleh said those problems were “being urgently fixed” and should be resolved within 24 hours of being found.
Systemic failures
DESNZ said it will not be publishing the names of the suspended businesses.
The government said the companies responsible for the failures will be forced to carry out the repairs at no cost to the households affected.
Qualified professionals have started checking every installation under these schemes. Ofgem, which administers the schemes on behalf of the government, has begun writing to all the households affected.
Fahnbulleh said there is a “serious and systematic issue” affecting ECO4 and GBIS solid wall insulation.
She said: “Officials informed ministers at the start of December about the situation and that early findings suggested that there were widespread cases of poor-quality installations that did not meet the required standard.
“Since that point, we have consulted with certification bodies that are responsible for overseeing the work and the Building Safety Regulator to understand the true scale and nature of the emerging problem.”
Fahnbulleh added: “I can inform the House [of Commons] that suspended installers will not be able to deliver new solid wall insulations on any government schemes until they have fulfilled their obligation to put issues right.
“It is clear the existing system of protections for consumers we inherited is in dire need of reform. This will be front and centre of our Warm Homes Plan, as we work to make sure no households are let down in this way again.”
