Eco 4 Programme Off the Rails - How?

[Ferdinand]

There are reported problems and an audit with the ECO4 programme, which is tragic as these ECO programmes have (imo) been highly successful for more than a decade.

It seems to be around lack of sufficient supervision / audit, which left room for con-artists and fly-boys to move in. I'd also mention at a move to more complex products ie external wall insulation not internal wall insulation. I've been fed ads all over Youtube for this, as for solar panels, marketed as "you can get free Government money".

It's worth a read for general awareness.

From a BBC Report this morning:
 

Quote

A government scheme aimed at cutting energy use by insulating homes was botched on a vast scale, a spending watchdog has found, leaving tens of thousands of homes in need of remedial work.

According to the National Audit Office (NAO) 98% of homes that had external wall insulation installed under the scheme have problems that will lead to damp and mould if left unaddressed.

Nearly a third, or 29%, of the homes that were given internal insulation also need fixing, it said.

Energy Consumer Minister Martin McCluskey said the government was taking action and that the homes would be fixed "at no cost to the consumer".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w965gz8zgo

From the National Audit Office:

Quote

During 2024, TrustMark (a private not-for-profit company that acts as a government-endorsed quality scheme for energy efficiency retrofits) informed the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) of two separate issues on these schemes:
 

in April 2024, TrustMark notified DESNZ of suspected fraud, whereby some retrofit businesses were overclaiming for work undertaken.

- Undetected fraud in the schemes means that fewer consumers may benefit overall. in October 2024, TrustMark notified DESNZ of high levels of external wall insulation installations that were non-compliant with the relevant quality standard.

- The following month, TrustMark similarly highlighted issues with internal wall insulation. Non-compliance covers a wide range of severity, from major issues that pose immediate risks to the health and safety of the household to minor issues such as missing paperwork.

https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/energy-efficiency-installations-under-the-energy-company-obligation/

[Big Jimbo]

I will prob get shot down but, The house next to my daughters was rented by the boss of an EWI company. He new bugger all about much, but admitted to me that he started the company, just to cash in on government funds. He went from driving an old beater of a car, to a brand new Bentley, in about 18 months. I have seen a couple of the install, his company did, and frankly, that put me off EWI