Net zero – bad for your health

Energy efficiency schemes launched in the name of the drive to net zero are creating health problems. The government has now acknowledged the wide-scale issues after complaints and media reports.

Over three million council or housing association homes in the UK Britain have been “'upgraded”' under the government’'s compulsory Net Zero Energy Company Obligation schemes.

Cost

Nominally paid for by the energy companies, the cost is passed on to consumers via their energy bills.

One such energy saving scheme, launched in July 2023, running till March 2026, is the Great British Insulation Scheme, overseen by regulatory authority Ofgem. Under this scheme (and another called ECO4), 65,000 households have so far been treated.

‘Hundreds of thousands of homes may have below standard cavity wall insulation.’

A BBC report in October last year revealed that hundreds of thousands of homes potentially had cavity walls insulated below the required standard. Installation companies must register with the firm Trustmark, which also carries out routine inspections, but that’s no guarantee of competence. A further BBC investigation this January reported poor quality solid wall insulation.

Substandard work also included insufficient ventilation, missing or exposed ventilation, and wires incorrectly fitted. Missing or incomplete documentation was also cited as a fire risk, despite new legislation since the Grenfell fire requiring notification where combustible materials are used.

Damp and mould

Insulation of solid external walls involves fixing boards to the brickwork, which are then plaster coated. Poor workmanship allows rainwater to penetrate between materials. As with inadequate cavity wall insulation, this results in damp, black mould, and dry rot fungus feeding off floorboards.

Rogue contractors using unqualified labour and a lack of inspection are costly to rectify – a single home could cost the taxpayer £100,000 for a professional to put right. Residents are understandably resentful of costly “green” schemes imposed upon them by zealous politicians.

“Serious and systematic”

Thirty nine un-named businesses have now been suspended. Speaking in Parliament, the Minister for Energy Consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, was forced to admit to “serious and systemic problems”. At first, she had said that only a small number of homes were affected,

After receiving hundreds of calls, Citizens Advice has called on the government to urgently fix regulation of the sector. The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, may be reluctant to support this given her announcement about tearing down regulations holding back growth. Meanwhile the only growth many residents see is that of the mushrooms on their walls.