The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its Consumer protection in the green heating and insulation sector report, the National Insulation Association (NIA) told members on 16 June 20231. The report followed the CMA's Call for Information, to which the NIA responded on members' behalf1.
The NIA said the report recognises that many consumers have a positive experience when buying green heating or insulation products, but that it also raised concerns about how the sector can improve its offering to customers, including where customers can access relevant information, levels of transparency over costs and protections for consumers on quality assurance1. The NIA summarised the CMA's warning in these words:
"without action to address these concerns, there is a significant risk that people either are put off from installing insulation products or end up making poor decisions if they do go ahead"
The CMA set out a series of key actions it will take, according to the NIA: a guide for consumers on their rights and protections, a guide to businesses on their legal responsibilities, and a set of good practice principles for standards bodies and quality assurance schemes1. The NIA did not report a publication date for those documents, and no deadline for them has been reported1.
The same NIA update covered separate developments. The association said its board had agreed to incorporate a new National Home Decarbonisation Group into its structure, bringing together Tier 1 contractors specialising in the delivery of large-scale residential retrofit, and that the group is in its initial stages of mobilisation1. On funding, the NIA reported that the Green Home Finance Accelerator (GHFA), part of the government's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, will receive £20 million to support homes in the owner-occupied and private rented sectors to reach the target of an EPC C by 20351. It said the GHFA has just been awarded an initial £4,169,227.42 in grant funding to cover 26 projects across the UK, now in a Discovery Phase, with those projects able to apply to a 15-month Pilot Phase in October 20231.
Why it matters for households
Insulation and green heating are bought rarely, usually through an installer rather than off a shelf, and the work is hard for a householder to judge once it is done. The CMA's concerns go to the information a household can see before signing: what a measure costs, what it will save, and what happens if the work is poor. Where those are unclear, the practical risk the CMA identifies is twofold: households walk away from measures that would cut their bills, or they proceed and get a result that underperforms. For a home's energy independence, the difference between a well-installed and a badly installed measure is the difference between a real reduction in bought energy and a cosmetic one. Quality assurance and certification sit behind that, and the insulation product standards, certification and guarantees framework is where those protections are defined. Consumer codes and installer schemes are the other half of the picture, covered in installer schemes and consumer codes. The wider policy context sits in the regulation and policy hub, and the link between fabric measures and reduced reliance on bought energy is set out in insulation, glazing and energy independence.
What happens next
The NIA said the 26 GHFA projects will be able to apply to the 15-month Pilot Phase in October 20231. It also said the NIA has been invited to speak at the Installer Show in Birmingham on the 28th of June, and that members of its team will attend Housing 2023 in Manchester the same day1. No date has been reported for publication of the CMA's consumer guide, business guide or good practice principles1.