Hello and Welcome
Welcome to your regular NIA update.
Read on to find out about some exciting new developments, including the successful formation of our new National Home Decarbonisation Group for Tier 1 Contractor firms. You can also hear about some popular upcoming events that the NIA will present at and find out how you can join and engage at our next Insulation Intelligence Group call. You can also discover how you are being represented via consultation responses which you are encouraged to input. Finally, take a look at some interesting recent policy developments in the sector.
Enjoy the update!
Topics
- The new National Home Decarbonisation Group
- The NIA presents at the Installer Show and Housing 2023
- The Great British Insulation Scheme consultation response – have your say!
- Our recent consultation responses
- Get involved: Insulation Intelligence Engagement Calls
- Supporting consumers through the retrofit journey – CMA report
- New funding awarded – Green Home Finance Accelerator
The new National Home Decarbonisation Group
You may have seen our recent announcement on the formation of a new group within the NIA known as the National Home Decarbonisation Group (NHDG). This is an extremely exciting initiative and brings together Tier 1 contractors specialising in the delivery of large-scale residential retrofit.
Tier 1 contractors (including some of our existing members) are getting serious about scaling up retrofit delivery under schemes such as SHDF and HUG in the rapidly growing decarbonisation of homes sector. It was felt that a forum was required to discuss key issues and provide an influential voice to government for these companies. As there currently isn’t one in existence, the NIA Board agreed to incorporate a group into our associations’ structure. Together, by representing firms operating at every level within the supply chain we can now offer much more influential representation for the industry as a whole under one roof.
By working closely with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the devolved governments, this group will push for progress growing the retrofit supply chain and championing innovation – two issues where resource, scale and collaboration can make a real difference.
Though the group is in its’ initial stages of mobilisation, we look forward to hearing more from the new NHDG membership in the coming weeks. To find out more on the NHDG please visit the NHDG website here.
The NIA presents at the Installer Show and Housing 2023
We are delighted to announce that NIA has been invited to speak at the Installer Show in Birmingham on the 28th of June. This is an extremely popular event that attracts 15,000 visitors, including many experts from across the retrofit sector so it’s a great chance to showcase the important work the NIA is doing on your behalf. It will also provide us with a fantastic platform so that we can keep putting across our key messages about the importance of high-quality, whole house retrofit in tackling the energy health, climate, and cost of living crises.
Members of the NIA team will also be attending Housing 2023 in Manchester on the same day (28th June). If you are also going to be there, please let us know (info@nia-uk.org) as the Secretariat team would be delighted to meet you.
Great British Insulation Scheme Consultation – Have your say!
You are invited to provide your comments on the response that we have drafted on your behalf to Ofgem’s consultation on the administration of the Great British Insulation Scheme. Please see our draft response attached to this email.
Valuable input from members to the initial ECO+ consultation has helped us to influence key aspects of the scheme proposals. Therefore, you’re encouraged to provide any comments so we can feed your views back to government once again. This is vital so we can advocate for a final scheme design that is best suited to the needs of the industry.
We have produced a helpful summary of the proposed scheme, which you can read here. You can also find the full consultation document here.
Please email your comments to info@nia-uk.org by Thursday 15th June before the final submission deadline on Friday 16th June.
Our recent consultation responses
It’s been a busy time for the policy team with a number of important consultations to respond to in recent weeks. These are:
BSI’s Call for Evidence on revisions to PAS 2035/2030 – We supported the overall aims of the changes to the PAS in terms of reducing complexity and administrative burdens on insulation businesses, so long as this does not compromise the quality of retrofit work.
Scotland’s Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan – We advised that supporting the energy efficiency industry would see an increase in green jobs in a sector that forms a crucial part of reaching net zero and that, in order to achieve this, there is a real need for investment in retrofit skills.
You are represented in the NIA’s consultation responses, so it is important that your voice is heard, we encourage you to provide your thoughts on the GBIS consultation along with future consultations as they arise.
Please email info@nia-uk.org
Get involved: Insulation Intelligence Engagement Calls
Thank you to everyone who attended our most recent Insulation Intelligence Group engagement call with David Pierpoint from the Retrofit Academy. It was great to hear from David about the current state of the skills landscape within the industry and the exciting training opportunities available to you.
We will be contacting you all shortly with updates on details for our next call, look forward to seeing you there!
Supporting consumers through the retrofit journey – CMA Report
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its Consumer protection in the green heating and Insulation sector report. The report is based on findings from its Call for Information which we responded to on your behalf.
The report recognises that many consumers have a positive experience when buying green heating or insulation products. However, it also raised some concerns about how the sector can improve its offering to customers
including where customers can access relevant information, levels of transparency over costs and protections for consumers on quality assurance.
The report noted that, without action to address these concerns, there is a significant risk that people either are put off from installing insulation products or end up making poor decisions if they do go ahead. In the report, the CMA has set out a series of key actions it will be taking to address the issues raised including a guide for consumers on their rights and protections, a guide to businesses on their legal responsibilities and a set of good practice principles for standards bodies and quality assurance schemes.
New funding awarded – Green Home Finance Accelerator
As part of the government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) the Green Home Finance Accelerator (GHFA) will receive £20 million in funding to support homes in the owner-occupied and private rented sectors to reach the target of an EPC C by 2035.
The GHFA has just been awarded an initial £4,169,227.42 in grant funding to cover 26 projects across the UK. These projects will support the development of green finance products with the aim of increasing uptake of home energy efficiency improvements, low carbon heating measures and micro-generation.
The project is now in its Discovery Phase meaning that the 26 projects have been identified and will be able to apply to the 15-month Pilot Phase in October 2023. A list of the projects can be found here.
The GHFA offers an opportunity for NIA members to engage in partnerships with the above projects, which include representatives from the housing sector, private lenders and investors as well as representatives from the energy efficiency sector and low carbon heating. We encourage you all to get involved!
For more information on the GHFA please visit the website here.
Join our policy mailing list
NIA members are vital to help shape our consultation responses. If you would like to receive draft consultations for you to provide your input, please email info@NIA-uk.org
