US EditionFree Energy Upgrades Leave Homeowner Facing Major Disruption and Rising Bills
A Public Accounts Committee report reveals just 10% of the 30,000 affected UK homes have been repaired since defects emerged in 2024, urging a Serious Fraud Office probe.
- Last year the National Audit Office found external wall insulation under the Energy Company Obligation scheme defective in 98 per cent of cases, leaving at least 30,000 homes affected, while TrustMark has only remedied 3,000.
- Weak oversight and subcontracting to incompetent firms under the Energy Company Obligation scheme led to widespread defective installations, incentivised by funding from energy-bill payers and fragmented oversight by a patchwork of energy companies and agencies.
- Affected households face financial exposure, as original installers are liable only up to £20,000, while some properties suffered up to £250,000 of damage, according to MPs. 'Potentially thousands' live with health and safety risks, the PAC said.
- The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is auditing affected homes with Ofgem and TrustMark at no cost, ministers ended ECO and will create a Warm Homes Agency for stronger oversight.
- The Public Accounts Committee urged referral to the Serious Fraud Office, warning original installers may lack capacity, while report authors caution the Warm Homes Plan risks repeating past mistakes despite over 50% remediation.
18 Articles
18 Articles
MPs call for Serious Fraud Office investigation into botched insulation schemes
On 21 January, the UK government announced its Warm Homes Plan. But now MPs are calling for the Serious Fraud Office to investigate the failures of past insulation retrofitting schemes. MPs have previously reported on the shocking failures of earlier schemes. Tory inaction and incompetence on the issue meant that by 2025 there were “98% fewer energy efficiency measures” in place than if the trajectory from 2010 had continued. This is despite suc…
Net Zero energy scheme faces fraud probe demands as homes left with £250k in damages
A Government Net Zero scheme must be investigated for fraud, MPs have warned after widespread failures left tens of thousands of homes damaged and some facing repair costs of more than £250,000.The chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) told GB News the extent of the problems uncovered were "staggering", with action now needed to determine if criminality is behind the severe situation.He spoke to the People's Channel to coincid…
Parliamentary report calls for fraud investigation into insulation scandal
Information in a report from the House of Commons public accounts committee (PAC) has found “serious failings at every level” The insulation scandal concerns the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) last year, which saw poor quality insulation installed in thousands of homes. The scandal led to several firms involved being suspended for poor practice. Now, the PAC is calling for the Serious Fraud Offi…
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