Almost 40 firms banned from installing UK insulation amid botched jobs outcry
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Schemes backed by previous government to improve energy efficiency have left homeowners unable to sell. Almost 40 building companies have been blocked by the government from installing insulation amid a growing outcry over the profusion of botched jobs across the UK.
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Ministers also announced that any homes found to have received botched insulation would have the issues put right by the installer responsible at no extra cost to the homeowner. Many homeowners have been unable to remortgage or sell their homes after using government-backed schemes to improve the energy efficiency of their properties with spray-foam insulation.
Others have been dogged by substandard work such as insufficient ventilation, or missing or exposed insulation, which could lead to damp and mould despite using accredited installers. The government said it had suspended 39 businesses from fitting new insulation in people’s homes after it was alerted to reports of poor-quality work.
It has also instructed the energy regulator Ofgem to contact homes that used the previous government’s home insulation schemes – the energy company obligation 4 and Great British Insulation scheme – to arrange a check on the quality of the insulation they received.
The schemes encouraged approximately 65,000 households to undertake solid wall insulation in their homes as part of the government’s drive to improve the energy efficiency of Britain’s homes, cut carbon emissions and reduce home heating bills. But many of the grant-funded installations are understood to have included the use of spray-foam insulation, which has been found to cause 25% of roof timber to decay within five years if applied directly to roof tiles or certain underlays. This is likely to make homes difficult to sell or remortgage.
