CIVALLI welcomes the long awaited Bonfield Review ‘Each Home Counts’ released 16/12/16. As expected the Review focuses on recommendations for the future but in so doing makes clear statements about the historical landscape through which the insulation industry has been operating.

A review was first considered by Amber Rudd MP following the Parliamentary debate of 3/2/15lobbied for and raised by the MPs of an alliance of cavity wall insulation victimsoutraged by the sheer contempt afforded them by some within the insulation industry and the official bodies who colluded with them to facilitate this contempt.

“I will consider conducting a review. I will consider the case for introducing independent oversight for all guarantees. Concern about the features of this debate. I am concerned about the level of transparency”

Amber Rudd MP 3/2/15- Parliamentary debate

CIVALLI has endeavoured to summarise the key features from the Bonfield Review which identifies the issues affecting consumers who report problems to us concerning their cavity wall insulation, the process through which it was sold to them and the resultant attitude of the bodies set up to protect them.

“A race to the bottom by cutting costs and quality”

Each Home Counts – Released 16/12/16

“Between July 2010 and September 2014 2.27 million homes had cavity wall insulation fitted; of those, 1.7 million did so under Government schemes. At the end of September 2014 13.9 million homes had cavity wall insulation”

Amber Rudd MP 3/2/15- Parliamentary debate

It is with the 13.9 million already filled homes under the self-serving historical business landscape within which the insulation industry has been operating for many years that CIVALLI continues to hold grave concerns for.

Each Home Counts

Summary

  • The Review has not been conducted to place blame for redress.
  • It does not provide compensation for those who have been disadvantaged
  • Ofgem works to ensure that energy companies directly compensate consumers impacted by their poor behaviour
  • Ofgem to provide ‘voluntary’ redress funding towards third sector consumer bodies
  • Ofgem encouraged to consider how fines from energy companies could be used to support consumers who have fallen victim to poor practice.
  • Cavity wall insulation installations- Quantity must not be achieved at the expense of quality or consumer protection
  • Poor quality installations can cause bigger issues than the issues they seek to solve.
  • Detrimental impacts on the occupants
  • Property damage
  • Short term remedial costs
  • Long term damage to consumer trust
  • Interventions not well targeted to suitable properties
  • Poor practice and substandard work being carried out
  • Gaps in the standard of training provided
  • Measures where the quality of work falls short consumers can end up with damage to their home and/or health.
  • Shortcomings in consumer protection and in the quality of installation in the energy efficiency sector have emerged- highlighted as an area of concern
  • Numerous codes, charters and certification schemes- some not fit for purpose.
  • Absence of a unifying approach leads to confusion increasing consumer detriment.

Sales and Marketing

  • Complexity of energy efficiency- risk of deliberate and unintentional miselling
  • No service should be online only
  • 34% of UK homeowners are over 65
  • 32% of those over 65 have never used the internet

Standard of work

  • When the quality of work falls short there can be serious consequences for the consumer
  • Problems can occur within the assessment, design and installation phases
  • There is no single body with overall responsibility for checking the quality of work
  • Existing standards and the associated monitoring and sanctions regimes are fragmented
  • Redress processes where they exist can be unclear, slow and difficult for consumers to navigate
  • Ultimately they may not resolve satisfactorily the consumer’s complaint
  • Inappropriate and poor delivery of a proportion of retrofit has been acknowledged for some time
  • Lack of suitably available standards and guidance covering the impact of retrofit on overall building performance
  • A disconnect between multiple delivery teams and omissions in standards around the quality levels for installations.
  • Many cases of poor quality work and performance exist especially in the area of insulation
  • Attempts to remedy this have been inconsistent
  • Too often very poor analysis of individual property factors such as location, exposure, history, usage and state of repair as well as architectural context
  • Driven by scheme mechanisms to install measures at the lowest up- front costs.
  • Inappropriate insulation has been installed in unsuitable buildings with poor detailing without adequate ventilation
  • There have been too many instances of poor quality installations being made by companies who do not have the skills, quality levels or core values required to operate responsibly in this market.

CIVALLI would like to thank the multiple cavity wall insulation victims who contributed to the Bonfield Review either directly or through us. So often a hidden voice.