CIOB responds to committee report criticising UK retrofit schemes

In a report the UK’s Energy Security and Net Zero Committee says poorly designed retrofit schemes, a “skills crisis” and costly assurance failures have significantly set back efforts to decarbonise home heating and bring down energy bills, and has pushed the UK’s clean, secure energy targets farther off track. 

Responding to the report, Amanda Williams, head of environmental sustainability at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), said: “We are pleased to see the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee highlight the ongoing issues preventing the retrofitting of UK homes at the scale and pace needed. Households continue to suffer the impacts of high energy costs and drafty homes, which can be detrimental to finances, health, and standards of living, as well as severely hampering the drive to net zero.  

"CIOB has previously highlighted what the report refers to as ‘stop- start government support schemes’, which undermines their effectiveness. The Green Homes Grant is one such example, where assumptions were made about the capacity within the industry to deliver the energy efficiency improvements on offer.  

“Our sector has well-documented skills and worker shortages so instead of short-term, ever-changing schemes, long-term policies that provide a steady pipeline of demand for retrofitting must be the way forward. This would provide the industry with the assurance to invest in training and upskilling the workforce, which in turn gives households confidence that retrofit works will be delivered by suitably qualified people. This is essential to address the current low levels of consumer confidence, which both CIOB and the Committee have highlighted.  

“Gaining trust in the industry to deliver high quality retrofit measures is key to improving the take up of support schemes. We would also urge Government to carefully consider the funding of and access to these schemes, as even part-payment towards retrofit work is unaffordable for many when due in one lump sum. CIOB has previously made the case for an interest-free loan scheme to increase uptake, alongside well-advertised and trusted grants, made available over the long -term. 

“We also agree with the Committee’s call for EPC rating reform and contributed to the Government’s consultation on this earlier this year. We hope some of our recommendations, along with those made by the Committee, will be incorporated in the consultation response. The current system is not fit for purpose and often fails to fully capture the retrofit measures that would deliver maximum reductions in carbon output from heating our homes and ensure everyone has a warm home in which to live. 

“The scale and complexity of the retrofit challenge is daunting, but to overcome it, its vital there is a clear strategy addressing consumer confidence, the provision of advice, and access to and the promotion of schemes and funding. It must also cover ways to raise quality and standards through increasing provision for skills, training and accreditation.”