Committee publication · Correspondence · 8 December 2025
Letter from the Interim Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero relating to the Committee’s evidence session on Faulty energy efficiency installations on 13 November 2025, 02 December 2025
Summary
Clive Maxwell, Interim Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, responds to PAC questions from a 13 November 2025 evidence session on faulty energy efficiency installations. The letter confirms the government will not extend the Energy Company Obligation Scheme beyond April 2026, details remediation scales (22,000–23,000 homes with external wall insulation, 9,000–13,000 with internal wall insulation require fixes), and outlines consumer protection measures including enhanced contractor oversight, TrustMark governance improvements, and guarantees covering up to £20,000 for 25 years.
Key findings
- Government will not continue ECO and GBIS schemes beyond April 2026, with no additional obligations or levies on bills
- Audit of 758 properties found 92% of external wall insulation and 27% of internal wall insulation installations had at least one major technical non-compliance under ECO4 and GBIS
- An estimated 22,000–23,000 homes with external wall insulation and 9,000–13,000 with internal wall insulation installed before 16 January 2025 require remediation
- As of 7 November 2025, 11,146 audits conducted; 8,968 found non-compliant, of which 4,603 (51%) had been remediated by 13 November 2025
- Department had no evidence of systemic problems with faulty installations until October 2024; guarantees cover costs up to £20,000 for 25 years post-installation
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Clive Maxwell, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Anna Dixon MP, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, TrustMark, National Audit Office, QualityMark, SWIGA
Notable line
“92% of External Wall Insulation installations and 27% of Internal Wall Insulation installations of those audited under ECO4 and GBIS were found to have at least one major technical …”
Key Quotes
“… the government will not continue the Energy Company Obligation Scheme (ECO) and associated Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) when the current schemes end”
“92% of External Wall Insulation installations and 27% of Internal Wall Insulation installations of those audited under ECO4 and GBIS were found to have at least one major technical non-compliance”
“… the department has not identified any evidence that it was made aware of any systemic material problems with poor quality non-compliant installations of Solid Wall Insulation under ECO4 and GBIS until October”
“The guarantee for Solid Wall Insulation will cover costs up to £20,000 for up to 25 years post-installation”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗