Which? responded on 4 March 2023 to the government's energy efficiency campaign and the ECO+ insulation scheme, saying both were steps in the right direction but that delivery and consumer protection would decide how much households gained1.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said the campaign was welcome but that energy use varies from home to home, and that some households may not be able to cut heating further1. She pointed to turning a boiler flow temperature down or using appliances more efficiently as examples of savings some people could make1.
"With energy bills higher than ever, the ECO+ scheme is an important move forward and will help more households to improve the insulation of their homes. This support should be delivered as quickly as possible and underpinned with accessible independent advice and robust consumer protections."
The statement gives no figures for the scheme's funding, the number of homes it is expected to reach, or the rates of support available in each nation. Those details have not been reported here1. The qualifying benefits, the measures covered and the eligibility rules for ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme are set out in the scheme rules rather than in this response1.
Why it matters for households
Insulation is one of the few home energy measures that reduces demand permanently rather than shifting it. A better insulated home needs less heat to hold a given temperature, so it depends less on whatever the price of gas or electricity happens to be in a given winter. That is the practical link between insulation and energy independence: the less energy a home needs, the less exposed its occupants are to price movements they cannot control.
Which?'s emphasis on independent advice matters for the same reason. Households weighing up energy grants have to judge which measures suit their property, which scheme they qualify for, and which installer to use. Where advice comes from a party with a commercial interest in the work, that judgement is harder to make. Which? also flagged consumer protections, which bear on how work is guaranteed and what happens if it is done badly1.
The call for rapid delivery reflects a timing problem. Insulation installed after a cold season has passed does not cut that season's bills. Households considering ECO4 or the Great British Insulation Scheme face the same question of how quickly an application turns into completed work, and the statement offers no timetable1.
What happens next
No dated next steps are set out in the statement. Which? said only that the support should be delivered as quickly as possible and backed by accessible independent advice and robust consumer protections1.