The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) issued a consultation on reforming consumer protection for home upgrade schemes on 17 June 2026, with responses due by 11.59pm on 10 September 20261. The document sets out proposals to bring consumer protections for home upgrade measures delivered through DESNZ schemes under closer government control, following what it describes as weaknesses including fragmented oversight, unclear accountability and complex routes to redress1.
The consultation states that the government's Retrofit System Reform Advisory Panel, set up in July 2025, has supported DESNZ to develop and test proposals1. It also records that 98% of homes with external wall insulation installed under ECO4 and GBIS had major issues requiring remediation, and 29% of homes with internal wall insulation installed under the same schemes had major issues requiring remediation1. The ECO4 scheme will end in December 2026 following an orderly closedown period, and the document states there will be no comparable successor funded by energy bill levies and delivered at arms-length from government1.
The proposals include a new integrated consumer protection service covering advice, quality assurance, case management, remediation and redress, under DESNZ oversight and potentially delegated to the Warm Homes Agency, subject to final approvals1. Other measures include binding agreements to enforce delivery obligations, a government-owned data system, a single complaints and case-management function with an independent ombudsman as a final safeguard, and reform of financial protection arrangements1. The document states the earliest implementation of a new system is expected from 2028, subject to consultation responses and further design and transition planning, with a phased transition starting at the latest from 20281.
The wider system reforms in Chapter 2 primarily apply to England only, while the self-certification scheme system operates in England and Wales1. Building regulations are devolved, and the document states the government will continue to consult devolved administrations separately on these reforms1. The consultation also references a prospectus published in December 2025 setting out plans for a new single construction regulator, a Construction Products White Paper and further consultation published in February 2026, and a Building Safety Regulator call for evidence published in March 2026 that closed on 5 June 20261. The document notes that the Conditions of Authorisation, published in 2016, are now being reviewed to ensure they remain fit for purpose, and that UKAS accredits self-certification scheme operators to ISO17065 standards and annually assesses compliance with the conditions of authorisation1.
The consultation covers oversight of schemes funded through the £15 billion investment announced in the Warm Homes Plan, including £5 billion for low-income households delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and the Warm Homes: Local Grant, and a future consolidated scheme for low-income households1.
"The government's Retrofit System Reform Advisory Panel, set up in July 2025, has supported DESNZ to develop and test proposals."
Why it matters for households
The proposals concern the protections available to households that take up government-supported home upgrades such as insulation, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps1. The consultation document states that the current system has produced poor outcomes for some households and reduced consumer confidence, and that vulnerable and fuel-poor households may face greater barriers to navigating the system1. For a household considering measures that affect how much energy it buys and how independently it can meet its own needs, the assurance arrangements, complaint routes and financial protections set out in the consultation are the parts of the system that determine what happens if an installation goes wrong. The document states that a check is provided at no cost to the consumer in the context of its proposals1. The reforms apply primarily to DESNZ-supported schemes, with some aspects designed to support the wider market1.
What happens next
The consultation closes at 11.59pm on 10 September 20261. The document states that the earliest implementation of a new system is expected from 2028, subject to consultation responses and further design and transition planning, and that a phased transition will start at the latest from 20281. ECO4 will end in December 2026 following an orderly closedown period1.