Recommendation 4

The creation of jobs was a priority for the Scheme, but the Department failed to maximise its impact on employment. The Scheme’s objectives of creating jobs and reducing carbon emissions were at times conflicting. The Department chose to prioritise measures under the Scheme which promised higher carbon savings. However, this limited the number of jobs that could be created, as often energy Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme 7 efficiency measures which required skills that were quicker for installers to recruit and train, or where there were larger supply chains, were not as accessible under the Scheme. Heat Pump installations, for example, were encouraged under the six- month Scheme but it can take much longer than that just to learn how to install them. The Department originally envisaged that the Scheme would support up to 82,500 jobs over 6 months, but its modelling now indicates that the Scheme will have supported 5,600 jobs over 12 months. We are sceptical whether these modelled figures are accurate, as they are not based on concrete evidence of the actual number of jobs supported, and also do not take into account the negative effects reported by installers from the Scheme’s sudden closure. The Department is confident that installers were able to find work through its other energy efficiency schemes once the Scheme closed, however evidence submitted by industry indicates that these schemes were often not accessible to smaller installation companies, and some firms had to make staff redundant as a result of the Scheme’s difficulties and its abrupt closure. Recommendations: In planning and implementing the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the Department should engage closely with potential suppliers to properly understand the challenges they may face to scale up, including training sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled workers, and ensure the availability of suppliers across the country. If the Department sets an objective to create jobs it should put in place rob