Tens of thousands of UK homes have developed major faults, including damp and mould, after having energy-saving measures installed under a government scheme called the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). The National Audit Office (NAO) revealed in a report that poor installation work has led to an estimated 22,000 to 23,000 homes with external wall insulation and between 9,000 to 13,000 homes with internal insulation experiencing serious issues. In some cases, these problems pose immediate health and safety risks.
The scheme, designed to reduce carbon emissions by requiring energy firms to fund insulation installations, may have been exploited by "cowboy" tradespeople. The NAO report indicates that up to 16,500 false claims for installations may have been made, potentially amounting to £165 million in suspected fraud. Possible causes for the poor quality include an under-skilled workforce, subcontracting to incompetent firms, unclear standards, and companies cutting corners.
Despite the implementation of a new consumer protection system in 2021, the NAO found it failed to identify significant installation quality issues until late last year. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has been urge... download the app to read more
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