Government “failed to learn lessons” of previous energy efficiency schemes, says Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice in its role as the official watchdog for energy consumers has responded to the National Audit Office’s report into the Green Homes Grant.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:“Once again the government has failed to learn the lessons of previous attempts to improve the energy efficiency of people’s homes. Our research shows that previous schemes, including the Green Homes Grant, were complicated and frustrating to navigate, lacked good consumer protections and were too short term.
“To meet its net zero goals the UK will need to decarbonise 29 million homes. To achieve this once in a generation challenge the government is going to need to give people the right tools. The forthcoming Net Zero Strategy is a key opportunity to put in place the measures to make sure adapting your home is a far more simple process.
“Any future schemes need to give people access to unbiased information, to help make the right changes to their homes. It will need strong consumer protections to make sure problems are easy to fix, and to protect people from scammers that have marred previous schemes. In addition, accessible and sufficient long-term funding must be available for those who need it.”
Background
As part of a coalition of industry, trade and consumer groups wrote to the Prime Minister to highlight how the confusing process for making home adaptations could put the success of the net zero transition at risk.
Citizens Advice conducted analysis of people asking for help with the Green Homes Grant earlier this year - a summary of those findings can be found in this blog .
Notes to editors
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