Transition to green homes may ‘open the door to rogue traders’

ROGUE TRADERS could exploit the Government’s drive for green heating to rip off homeowners, experts have warned.

The Government wants the UK’S 29million homes to be adapted with energy efficiency measures and replacements for gas boilers to meet its net zero targets in coming decades. But insufficient consumer protections are leaving homeowners vulnerable to scams and rip-offs, according to warnings from Citizens Advice and consumer organisation Which?

In a letter to the Prime Minister, also signed by the Federation of Master

Builders, they warn against repeating the mistakes of previous green schemes, which have seen homeowners left with damp and mould from poorly installed cavity wall insulations.

“If protections for the net-zero transition don’t keep up with the pace of change, we open the door to scammers and rogue traders,” it reads.

“The entire journey of installing low carbon heat and energy efficiency is really time consuming, confusing and stressful,” said Dhara Vyas, head of future energy services at Citizens Advice.

The Government wants to install 600,000 heat pumps, which work like a refrigerator in reverse, annually from 2028. There are currently around 30,000 heat pumps installed annually, compared to around 1.7 million gas boilers. The cost of installing heat pumps can be around £10,000, although the industry expects this to fall within five years as the manufacturing and installation sectors develop.

A grant scheme to be rolled out next year will offer households up to £7,000 to replace their gas boilers, though it is only expected to cover a fraction of the 29million homes that will need to make the switch.

The signatories to the letter called for “specific support schemes for people who are fuel-poor, in vulnerable circumstances or less able to afford these changes”.