The government has announced plans to better protect families upgrading their homes.
Minister are working to hold the retrofit industry to account for delivering home upgrades through a new consumer protection service.
Plans under consultation include a transparent public register of government approved installers; a single advice and support service covering the entire time a home is being upgraded; powers to hold installers and delivery partners to account, including bans from working on government schemes if they don’t meet high standards; and a new data-backed system that spots risks and installer performance issues earlier.
It is hoped this will simplify the process for consumers, providing a single point of access offering end-to-end support, quality checks, and routes to redress.
The government says that previously, people have faced a broken and fragmented system when installing energy efficiency measures and been left frustrated and let down when things have gone wrong.
New measures have also been announced to strengthen the Energy Ombudsman. If companies are not able to resolve issues directly, customers will be able to escalate their complaints to the Ombudsman within a shorter time frame. The Ombudsman will be empowered to fine companies if they do not comply with their ruling.
Minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey said: "This government inherited a broken system that left too many people in homes damaged by work that lacked clear oversight, without support when things went wrong.
"That is why we promised to change that system and today we are setting out how we propose to do that.
"We are building a system that puts consumers first – holding companies to account while introducing better compensation and protections for customers."
Adam Scorer, CEO, National Energy Action, and Retrofit System Reform Advisory Panel member, said: "Strengthening consumer protections for home upgrades is an essential step toward homes that are more affordable to heat and that make people healthier. I welcome a reform agenda considered through the experiences of more vulnerable households with less market power and who stand to benefit most from government support."
