The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) published polling on 18 June 2024 which it says shows that party plans for renewed investment in domestic energy efficiency are likely to be undermined by a lack of consumer awareness about available funding support1. The polling of 1,077 UK homeowners aged 18 and over was conducted in May 2024 by Censuswide1.
Just under half of homeowners, 43%, said they are actively considering installing energy-efficiency measures, for a combination of financial and environmental reasons1. Well over one third, 41%, said they are unaware of funding schemes and incentives and how to apply for them, while around one fifth, 18%, said they are deterred because they are unfamiliar with the technology involved or do not know where to find a reliable installer1. Among those not considering upgrading, 56% said energy-efficiency technology is currently too expensive1.
CTSI estimates that as many as 5 million UK households are being deterred from installing energy-efficiency measures for those reasons1. It states that to meet the net zero target by 2050, the UK's 28 million households will need to be upgraded to at least Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C, at an approximate total cost of £249.5bn1.
On installer trust, more than two thirds of homeowners, 71%, said they would be more likely to have measures such as heat pumps, solar panels and cavity wall insulation installed if a trader had been independently approved and certified, and half, 50%, said they would be more likely to choose an installer vetted and approved by a Trading Standards-backed scheme1. CTSI is calling for a mandatory licensing system for installers of domestic energy-efficiency measures1.
The announcement cites Labour pledging an initial investment of £6.6bn to make the UK's homes more energy-efficient via its Warm Homes Plan, and the Conservatives promising £6bn investment in domestic energy-efficiency measures over the next three years1. CTSI says a lack of consumer awareness has left the sector open to exploitation by rogue traders using aggressive sales tactics and misleading claims, factors it says led to the scrapping of the government's Green Homes Grant scheme in 20211.
"It is good to see promises of investment in energy-efficiency upgrades in the party manifestos. Achieving net zero will require all of us to play our part in ensuring that the energy-efficiency measures installed in our homes are effective, safe and fit for the future. This is an area that is crying out for clarity and improved consumer confidence, with a bewildering array of funding schemes, new technologies and different organisations with overlapping remits creating a muddled picture and an overcrowded playing field."
The Approved Code Scheme, originally established by government and now run by CTSI, requires member traders to adhere to professional standards aligned with consumer protection law, including complaints-handling and after-care procedures and access to Alternative Dispute Resolution services1. Faisal Hussain, chief executive of scheme member HIES, said consumer protection should be at the centre and that only traders who are a member of an Approved Code should be used1.
Why it matters for households
The figures point to a gap between the money being promised for home upgrades and households' ability to take it up. More than four in ten homeowners say they do not know what funding exists or how to claim it, and around one in five say unfamiliar technology or not knowing where to find a reliable installer is what stops them1. For a household weighing up measures such as insulation, solar or a heat pump, that means the practical barriers are information and trust as much as cost, which 56% of those not upgrading cited1.
Trust in who does the work is central to the numbers: 71% said independent approval and certification would make them more likely to install, and 50% favoured a Trading Standards-backed scheme1. The installers and retailers guide sets out how hiring, checking and complaining work in this sector, and the Renewable Energy Consumer Code and RECC and HIES compared pages cover the two consumer codes for energy installations. The Green Homes Grant and Green Deal finance mis-selling pages cover the closed schemes CTSI cites as having dented confidence1. Installer standards sit within the wider regulation and policy picture, and the installers, retailers and household energy independence page sets out how the quality of work affects a home's energy position.
What happens next
CTSI says it is calling for a mandatory licensing system for installers of domestic energy-efficiency measures and is stressing the need for properly trained, reliable and Trading Standards-approved businesses in the sector1. No timetable for any licensing scheme, and no government response to the call, is reported in the announcement1.
Sources1 cited
- Approved Code Scheme, approvedcode.tradingstandards.uk