A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) describing the failure of two flagship government schemes to improve wall insulation in homes has been welcomed by energy experts Severn Wye.
The NAO report on the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) retrofit states that, over the past four years, 29% of internal wall insulation and 98% of external wall insulation installations have ‘major issues’ and will need repair.
Chief executive Sandy Ruthven commented:
‘The figures are eye-watering but by themselves don’t tell the full story of fuel poverty and the experience of day-to-day living in a cold, damp and unhealthy home.
External wall insulation is fitted to homes that have solid walls. Done well, it keeps heat in and cold out, but done badly it creates ideal conditions for damp and mould to grow inside. This is an unsightly nuisance at best but can be an immediate threat to health and in extreme cases can kill.
The report’s findings that almost all external wall insulation and nearly one third of internal wall insulation need repair is hard to comprehend. But we know from the calls we receive into our advice line and home visits, that coping with shoddy installations has a devastating impact on health and wellbeing.’
The government expected that the schemes would together deliver £280 million savings in households’ annual energy bills and contribute to its carbon-reduction targets. But with today’s NAO report calling for widescale repairs to be carried out, there is a concern that public confidence in energy efficiency schemes could take a knock.
“It’s distressing to know that so many insulation measures have been installed badly without independent checks, because residents have to be on a low income and vulnerable to fuel poverty to qualify for these schemes in the first place. These failings are heaping more suffering on the most vulnerable among us.
Making sure every installation is checked independently is a simple yet powerful change to the scheme that would bring confidence back to homeowners and make sure that only reputable builders with clients’ interest at heart can take part. We have long championed those independent checks at Severn Wye and as a result our clients are living in warmer homes with lower bills.
We want energy efficiency to be in the headlines for all the right reasons: improving the energy efficiency of the country’s housing stock is one of the most powerful ways to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.’
