Recommendation 7

The serious failings to protect consumers on these schemes risk undermining confidence in all the Department’s retrofit schemes. The Department believes it is rebuilding confidence through the steps it has taken to date, such as suspending 38 installer businesses, implementing a “robust” reinstatement process, and requiring retrofit coordinators to visit 7 each site in person. We are extremely sceptical that the changes so far are sufficient, especially given the low level of remediation that has taken place to date. For example, there is still no requirement for the retrofit coordinator to be independent of the installer, so the person who is meant to check the retrofit has been completed to the correct standard can be appointed by the installer they are assessing. The Department needs to make further changes before it can be confident there will be no more faulty installations under the current system. Since we took evidence in November 2025, the government announced that it would not continue ECO after the current schemes end, but that it would continue to invest in tackling fuel poverty through its Warm Homes Plan. It is vital, given the Departments strong statement that in the last resort it will stand by householders to ensure their homes are remediated that high priority is given to this pledge even after the scheme ends. The Department accepts that wholesale reform of the system is ultimately required to ensure customer protection and restore the public’s confidence in retrofits. It intends to deliver this reform in line with three principles: the system must be simpler and clearer; there must be stronger central oversight; and there must be clear accountability, redress and remediation when things go wrong. The public have a right to expect that where work is funded by government grant that the government effectively guarantee the work will be done correctly and put right if not. recommendation a. The Department should give high priority to ensuring—and ind