The National Insulation Association (NIA) has formed a National Home Decarbonisation Group (NHDG) for Tier 1 contractors, after its Board agreed to incorporate the group into the association's structure. The NIA announced the move in its member update published on 16 June 20231.
The group "brings together Tier 1 contractors specialising in the delivery of large-scale residential retrofit", the NIA said, with firms scaling up delivery under schemes such as SHDF and HUG. The association said "a forum was required to discuss key issues and provide an influential voice to government for these companies", and that as no such forum existed, "the NIA Board agreed to incorporate a group into our associations' structure"1.
"By working closely with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the devolved governments, this group will push for progress growing the retrofit supply chain and championing innovation"
The NIA said the group is "in its' initial stages of mobilisation" and that further detail from the new NHDG membership is expected in the coming weeks1. The association also set out other policy work in the same update. It said it had responded to BSI's call for evidence on revisions to PAS 2035/2030, supporting the aim of reducing complexity and administrative burdens on insulation businesses "so long as this does not compromise the quality of retrofit work", and to Scotland's Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, where it argued for investment in retrofit skills1.
On consumer protection, the NIA noted that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had published its Consumer protection in the green heating and insulation sector report, based on a call for information the NIA responded to. The NIA said the report raised concerns about how the sector improves its offering to customers, including access to relevant information, transparency over costs and quality assurance protections, and that "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"1.
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 2035. It said the GHFA "has just been awarded an initial £4,169,227.42 in grant funding to cover 26 projects across the UK", supporting green finance products aimed at increasing uptake of home energy efficiency improvements, low carbon heating measures and micro-generation. The 26 projects are in a Discovery Phase and can apply to a 15-month Pilot Phase in October 20231.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| GHFA total funding | £20 million |
| Initial grant awarded | £4,169,227.42 |
| Projects covered | 26 across the UK |
| Pilot Phase applications | October 2023 |
| EPC C target | 2035, owner-occupied and private rented sectors |
Why it matters for households
The NHDG is an industry body rather than a scheme households can join, so it does not change what any home is eligible for. Its relevance lies in who it represents: contractors working at volume under government retrofit programmes. If a forum of that kind succeeds in growing the supply chain, the practical effect for households is capacity, meaning more firms able to survey and install measures, and a stronger industry voice in dealings with DESNZ and the devolved governments1.
The consumer protection strand is the more direct concern for a household considering work. The CMA's findings, as reported by the NIA, point to gaps in information, cost transparency and quality assurance, and to a risk that people either avoid installing insulation or make poor decisions if they proceed1. Those are the areas where a household's control over its own energy use is won or lost: a measure that is specified and installed well reduces demand, while a poor installation does not. The NIA's stated position on the PAS revisions, that reduced complexity should not compromise quality, sits in the same territory1.
The GHFA money is aimed at finance products rather than grants to households, intended to lift uptake of efficiency measures, low carbon heating and micro-generation in owner-occupied and private rented homes working towards EPC C by 20351. What those products will cost a borrower, and on what terms, has not been reported.
What happens next
The NHDG is in initial mobilisation, with membership detail expected in the coming weeks1. The 26 GHFA projects can apply to the 15-month Pilot Phase in October 20231. The NIA said it was invited to speak at the Installer Show in Birmingham on the 28th of June, an event it says attracts 15,000 visitors, and that its team would attend Housing 2023 in Manchester the same day1. It also invited comments on its draft response to Ofgem's consultation on the administration of the Great British Insulation Scheme, ahead of a final submission deadline of 16 June 20231.