Support for homeowners to make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat is welcome, but this short-term focus on single measures must be followed by a long-term comprehensive plan to retrofit all of the UK’s 28 million leaky and energy inefficient homes, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to the announcement of ECO+ by the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.
Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “I welcome any move to improve the UK’s leaky and draughty homes and making them cheaper to heat. ECO+ is a step in the right direction, targeting a much wider section of homes-owners, but it must not be considered ‘job done’ by the Government. I’m also cautious about rollout of the scheme; consultation with industry is non-negotiable, to avoid a repeat of failures of the Green Homes Grant Scheme and we must ensure that installation is of the highest quality. Ultimately, to give homeowners and the industry confidence, we need a broader whole-house approach to retrofit, rather than a piecemeal policy.”
