Committee publication · Correspondence · 21 May 2026
Letter to the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero relating to Faulty energy efficiency installations, 21 May 2026
Summary
The Public Accounts Committee writes to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's Permanent Secretary regarding faulty energy efficiency installations, following the department's response to the Committee's January report. The Committee welcomes some commitments but expresses concern that several recommendations have not been adequately addressed, particularly regarding audit regimes for wall insulation installations and measures to reach vulnerable households with communication barriers.
Key findings
- The department rejected the Committee's recommendation for 100% audits of installations, citing non-compliance rates; the Committee disputes this reasoning given a 98% error rate in external installations.
- The Committee questions whether writing to households with ECO4 internal wall insulation will sufficiently identify faults, particularly for households with language, literacy barriers, or additional needs.
- The Committee notes that recommended solutions place responsibility on vulnerable claimants to identify and resolve problems themselves, which it deems unacceptable.
- The Committee seeks clarification on the department's response regarding referral of fraud issues to the Serious Fraud Office (recommendation 6a).
- The Committee welcomes the department's commitment to publish non-compliance and fraud rates and to issue guidance clarifying Managing Public Money obligations for levy-funded schemes.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Jonathan Brearley, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Public Accounts Committee, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Comptroller and Auditor General, Treasury Officer of Accounts
Notable line
“Given that claimants are often vulnerable, this is unacceptable. Please would you reconsider?”
Key Quotes
“Given the 98% error rate in external installations which you have acknowledged should never happen again, please think again about the auditing regime and how you will ensure that each installation is of an acceptably quality.”
“Your responses to both recommendations 1 and 2 have elements of the consumer having to sort out the problems themselves. Given that claimants are often vulnerable, this is unacceptable.”
“How will you ensure you are reaching households with language or literacy barriers or other additional needs that prevent them from opening, understanding or responding to your letters?”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗