The government acknowledged on 21 February 2024 that there had been poorly executed installations of cavity wall insulation, and said it was fully committed to protecting consumers with insulation products installed in their homes. The acknowledgement came in a Westminster Hall debate on cavity wall insulation and government support, held the same day as a written statement on consumer protection in home retrofit1.
The written statement said the government accepted findings that some consumers face difficulties when carrying out retrofit work, and that the landscape of protections can be seen as complex and confusing to navigate1. It followed an update from the Competition and Markets Authority, which began a review of consumer protection in the green heating and insulation sectors in September 2022 and published its update on the standards landscape on 21 February 20241.
"The Government acknowledges the findings on consumer experience, where some consumers may face difficulties when carrying out retrofit work, and on standards, where the landscape offering protections for consumers can be seen as complex and confusing to navigate."
In the debate, the government said it was fully committed to protecting all consumers who have insulation products installed in their homes, as well as improving the overall consumer journey regardless of housing tenure or how installation work is funded1.
The Library briefing sets out the scale of the installed base and the support schemes behind it. The government estimated that 14.8 million homes across Great Britain had cavity wall insulation at the end of 2022, which is 71% of homes with cavity walls. A further 3.8 million homes with uninsulated cavity walls were thought to be easy to treat, and 1.3 million hard to treat1.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Homes in Great Britain with cavity wall insulation, end 2022 | 14.8 million (71% of homes with cavity walls) |
| Uninsulated cavity walls, easy to treat | 3.8 million |
| Uninsulated cavity walls, hard to treat | 1.3 million |
| Cavity wall insulations under ECO, 2013 to 2023 | 1.04 million (27% of all ECO heating and energy efficiency measures) |
| ECO cavity wall insulations, 2014 peak | 316,400 |
| ECO cavity wall insulations, 2023 | 11,100 |
Support comes through supplier-led schemes across Great Britain, the Energy Company Obligation and the Great British Insulation Scheme, and through grant schemes in England: the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme, launched in August 2020 with the aim of upgrading the energy efficiency of 50,000 homes of low-income households, Home Upgrade Grants, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, and the now closed Green Homes Grant voucher scheme1.
Why it matters for households
For a household, cavity wall insulation is one of the few measures that directly reduces heat loss through the structure of the home, so a failed installation can mean both the expected saving not appearing and a defect that is expensive to put right. The briefing states plainly that there is no government compensation scheme for problems with cavity wall insulation1. Where an installation was carried out under ECO since 1 January 2020, the Great British Insulation Scheme, Home Upgrade Grants or the Local Authority Delivery scheme, it is covered by TrustMark or a similar certification body, which requires insurance against the installer going out of business, a minimum two-year warranty for work, and a minimum 25-year guarantee for certain measures installed under ECO1. The Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency provides 25-year guarantees for cavity wall insulation fitted by its registered installers, and has a published complaints procedure; rights under any guarantee sit alongside statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 19821. The briefing advises customers with problems to try the original installer first, then check for a guarantee where the issue cannot be resolved or the installer has gone into liquidation1. Government guidance for householders who suspect faulty cavity wall insulation was published in 20191.
What happens next
The Library briefing records that a Westminster Hall debate on provision of cavity wall insulation under government grants was scheduled for 26 March1. No further dates are given in the briefing for the Competition and Markets Authority review or for government action following the written statement.
Sources1 cited
- Debate on provision of cavity wall insulation under government grants - House of Commons Library, commonslibrary.parliament.uk