🌱 ECO5 DEMANDS
Our 2 Guiding Principles
No homeowner should be worse off due to a retrofit ‘upgrade’
Safeguarding and homeowner protections must be in place, regardless of installer response.
All grant funded installs should deliver claimed benefits by guarantee
Unless this is the case, energy companies have no right to report Annual Bill Savings without real-world data
Revolution, not Evolution
since 2022
We demand that the next version of ECO4 and all future retrofit programmes protect households first, deliver measured benefits, and uphold national integrity, delivering the aims and legitimate pursuit of net zero.
Our 10 Demands
1. Enforce Standards
ECO-funded installations must comply fully with PAS 2030, PAS 2035, ECO scheme guidance, and consumer protection law. PAS standards must be policed with independent scrutiny – funded from central reserves—not installer fees—to avoid conflicts of interest. Compliance must be actively enforced, with visible installer sanctions for breaches.
2. A Single ‘Whole Home’ Accrediting Body
A single whole-home accrediting body should replace the current fragmented schemes. Trustmark has evidentially failed to deliver and uphold standards.
3. Zero Tolerance for Fraud and Mis-selling
Forgery, mis-selling, and data breaches must be investigated and sanctioned on par with financial fraud. Installer fraud must be recognised and treated with the same or greater seriousness as consumer fraud.
4. Transparency and Accountability
No works should commence without a full contract, vulnerability assessment, and homeowner sign-off overseen by the scheme body. Homeowners must have automatic access to all design documents, heat loss data, and system choices—without needing FOI or SAR requests – as is commonly the case with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
5. Respect for Homes and Homeowners
Retrofit works must never deviate from agreed designs or contracts without updated documentation and express homeowner consent. Defects must be repaired before upgrades. Homeowners must have the right to pause works without penalty if concerns arise and receive immediate access to advocacy and support.
6. Immediate Protection When Retrofits Fail
Where retrofits fail, homeowners must be safeguarded immediately. Ill health, poverty, or hardship must not result from installer bankruptcy or denial of responsibility. Urgent support must come first; investigations can follow. Therefore, installers alone cannot be held accountable for remediations – sufficient scheme, and / or insurance-backed support MUST be made available.
7. Protect Health and Wellbeing
No retrofit should leave homes unsafe, cold, damp, or mould-ridden. A 10-year, no-quibble insurance-backed guarantee must apply. Vulnerable residents must be prioritised and their needs fully accommodated in line with PAS standards.
8. Financial Protection Through Real-World Data
Every retrofit must demonstrably reduce household energy costs, verified through operational data from installed systems. Heat loss modelling and system design must use accurate, independently verifiable data. Guarantees must extend beyond two years and cover cases of increased heating bills.
9. Reform the Complaints System
No homeowner should be forced into court action. Complaints must be resolved through an independent body empowered to enforce PAS standards without conflict of duty and which is predisposed to ensuring homeowner wellbeing. All cases must be resolved within eight weeks—preventing the current situation where households remain without heat for years.
10. Outcomes, Not Outputs
ECO funding must deliver measurable national benefits: lower bills, warmer homes, improved wellbeing, and verifiable carbon reductions. Independent post-installation audits must be mandatory, with a share of installer fees withheld until data confirms delivery of promised outcomes – this should include at least 2 heating season months between November and March.