Decarbonisation of 29 million homes at risk due to significant gaps in net-zero plans

It’s currently too complicated for people to adapt their homes for net zero and too often things go wrong. That’s the message today from a major coalition of consumer and industry groups in an open letter to the Prime Minister.

Citizens Advice, Which?, Aldersgate Group and the Federation of Master Builders are urging the government to work with them to address the obstacles currently faced by consumers and ensure lessons from previous energy efficiency schemes are learned. Otherwise it risks undermining the UK’s ability to decarbonise its 29m homes.

By making sure this process is as easy as possible for the public to engage with and understand, the government can maintain public trust and support and realise the benefits of emissions cuts, safer and warmer homes and innovation and jobs.

• Consumer confusion - right now the process of installing low-carbon heating, upgrading insulation or installing smart technologies is time-consuming, confusing and stressful. Researching and choosing the right technology, finding a reputable installer and having the work completed demands huge amounts of knowledge, time and effort.

• Things go wrong too often - the process of making adaptations is often beset by problems, including poor installation, technologies not working as expected, and people facing difficulties fixing things when they go wrong.

The coalition is also urging the government to avoid the mistakes of past energy efficiency schemes. Mistakes which left too many people struggling with damp and mould due to poorly installed insulation. Others suffered damage to their homes, leaving them with long-term problems that were expensive, disruptive and distressing to resolve. 

Despite recent improvements, current consumer protections are not ready for the pace and scale of the work needed to improve millions of UK homes.

The coalition is calling on the government to take the opportunity to fix these gaps through its upcoming Net Zero Strategy and put in place a long-term strategy to help households overcome the barriers to adapting their homes for the net-zero transition.

• Information - from installing low-carbon heating to upgrading insulation, it’s confusing for people to know what steps to take and what technologies to install. People need more accessible and unbiased information to help make the right changes to their homes.

• Consumer protections - the consumer protection landscape must be fit for purpose. If protections don’t keep up with the pace of change, the door will be opened to scammers and rogue traders. Previous energy efficiency schemes have been marred by such problems - which also began to emerge with the Green Homes Grant.

• Costs - many people will need financial support to make changes to their homes. There needs to be a comprehensive long-term policy framework that provides certainty for businesses and consumers, which offers financial support such as predictable and well-advertised grants, low-cost loans and financing.

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“Our evidence is clear. Right now, making green changes to homes is too confusing and too often things go wrong for those trying to do the right thing. The public are behind the net-zero transition, but they need the right information and tools, particularly when it comes to adapting their home.

“By getting things right now, the government can give people the confidence to make changes and play their part in getting to net zero.”

Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, said: 

“Decarbonising millions of households across the UK is a vital, but complex component of the government’s net-zero strategy, and its success will depend on ensuring consumers are supported in transitioning to low carbon heating systems, which will involve radical changes to their home.

“The level of support consumers need must not be underestimated, and we are urging the government to ensure its net-zero policy has provisions to help consumers navigate the heating market, through access to the right information, strong consumer protections, and if needed, financial support.”

Nick Molho, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, said: 

“Cutting emissions from homes is a significant part of achieving net-zero emissions but the transition also presents a real opportunity to improve the quality of the housing stock and the affordability of energy bills across the country. 

“The Government has a significant opportunity with the upcoming Net Zero Strategy to set a clear direction of travel through predictable regulatory targets, easily accessible policy incentives and much improved information and local support measures. It is vital that energy efficiency and low-carbon heat schemes are placed on a long-term footing, so that industry can invest, train its workforce, and grow consumer confidence.”

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said: 

“With our homes consuming 35% of all energy in the UK and emitting 20% of our total carbon dioxide emissions, it’s clear that net zero will only be possible alongside a long-term plan to green our homes. Short-term interventions, such as the prematurely closed Green Homes Grants Scheme, served only to undermine, rather than create, certainty for both consumers and builders.”

 “Any policy framework must be long-term, allowing time for local building firms to complete the relevant training to retrofit homes. Homeowners need to be informed about what changes need to happen to their home to make it environmentally-friendly. We recommend each building should have a renovation passport, setting out the path to net zero. We also need a locally-led approach that is sensitive to local communities’ needs.”

Notes to editors

1. 29 million homes - Committee on Climate Change
2. Home Truths - Citizens Advice report examining three years of contacts to its Consumer Service from people needing help with the installation of low carbon technologies or making energy efficiency improvements to their homes. 
3. Navigating net zero - Citizens Advice report examining the experiences of people who had installed low-technologies in their homes
4. Lessons for net zero - Citizens Advice report examining previous energy efficiency schemes (October 2020)

About Citizens Advice

1. Citizens Advice includes the national charity; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
2. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and post. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

About Federation of Master Builders

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is the largest trade association in the UK construction industry representing thousands of firms in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Established in 1941 to protect the interests of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms, the FMB is independent and non-profit making, lobbying for members’ interests at both the national and local level. The FMB is a source of knowledge, professional advice and support for its members, providing a range of modern and relevant business building services to help them succeed. The FMB is committed to raising quality in the construction industry and offers a free service to consumers called ‘Find a Builder’.

About the Aldersgate Group

The Aldersgate Group is an alliance of leaders from business, politics and civil society that drives action for a sustainable economy. Our members include some of the largest businesses in the UK with a collective global turnover of nearly £600bn, leading NGOs, professional institutes, public sector bodies, trade associations and politicians from across the political spectrum. Our mission is to trigger the change in policy required to address environmental challenges effectively and secure economic benefits for the UK in doing so.