Home insulation scheme must guarantee high-quality work

A group of campaigners and MPs have said that the government must ensure homeowners receive high quality improvements under its new energy efficiency scheme.

The Green Homes Grant will be launched in England in September. Under the plan, the government will pay at least two-thirds of the cost of home improvements that save energy in homes.

The grant will fund improvements such as home insulation and new boilers, with homeowners applying for a voucher of between £5,000 and £10,000 to help with the cost of the work.

However, MP Darren Jones, who chair’s the Common’s Business Select Committee, has expressed concern about how people will be protected from poor quality work. He said that under previous government programmes, a number of consumers had work done on their homes by suppliers who failed to meet required standards, with many unable to get the redress they deserve.

Jones has written to ministers asking what consumer protections will be available.

More than 13 million homes in the UK have had cavity wall insulation but industry insiders have told the BBC that insulation will have failed in at least 800,000 homes. Badly installed insulation can lead to damp and mould which can have a detrimental effect on people's health.

The Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) is an industry-funded body and not a regulator. It describes itself as an independent body that provides 25-year guarantees for cavity wall insulation fitted by registered installers in the UK. Campaigners and some MPs have said it is not fit for purpose.