Shoulda Gone For Windows – Solid Wall Insulation Scandal

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Solid wall insulation, fitted under the Energy Company Obligation 4 and Great British Insulation Scheme, is substandard – proving yet again, that improving windows would have been a better government investment.

The Retrofit System Reform Advisory Panel has reported that the widespread nature of these issues has demonstrated that current installation standards and consumer protections are not adequate to deliver quality for consumers upgrading their homes.

This is unlikely to get windows and doors included in government retrofit for energy efficiency policies – but it does show that quality installation businesses will be in hot demand to fix and continue fitting solid wall installation if they can train-up to take advantage of the opportunity. Solid wall insulation can be fitted on both the outside and the inside of a property.

The Retrofit System Reform Advisory Panel terms of reference were published on 17 July 2025.

39 installers suspended

39 installers have seen government action to suspend them over poor quality installations as discovered in routine checks by TrustMark. These firms will also have to fix all issues, at no cost to the people affected.

Warm Homes Plan

The government has announced that it will bring forward reforms to the current fragmented system of regulation as part of the Warm Homes Plan, which will strengthen redress and improve enforcement where standards are not met. This review will assess the entire energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofit landscape, ensuring that consumers can be confident in the quality of home upgrades. 

The Retrofit System Reform Panel has been established by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to gather insight from industry, regulatory and consumer protection experts to support the development of options to reform the retrofit consumer protection landscape. 

The panel will advise and work with ministers on the delivery of this reform to the retrofit system. Its priority areas of focus will include: 

Reaching a consensus on how to deliver a simplified system of high-quality standards and protections for building retrofit, ensuring that they are straightforward for consumers and industry to understand

supporting the development of a clear and accessible system of redress for consumers with sub-standard home upgrades, underpinned by a robust auditing and compliance process

Ensuring that any policy options continue to support the development of the retrofit supply chain and wider economic growth

Panel

Adam Scorer, the chief executive of National Energy Action; Gillian Cooper, the director of energy at Citizens Advice; Anthony Pygram, a member of the committee on fuel poverty; Marion Baeli, the principal for sustainability transformation at Egis; Dr Hywel Davies, the head of insight at the Chartered Association of Building Engineers; Lynne Sullivan OBE, the Board Chair at the National Retrofit Hub; Charlotte Lee, the chief executive of the Heat Pump Association; and Brian Berry, the chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders. Government officials will provide a secretariat function and policy expertise from across departments as required.

When discussing and agreeing solutions, the panel will work within the parameters of existing government funding envelopes and policy, including the need to meet our statutory net zero and fuel poverty targets, as well as the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Picture with thanks to the Centre for Sustainable Energy: Solid wall insulation can be fitted on both the outside and the inside of a property.

www.cse.org.uk

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
21st August 2025

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