The National Insulation Association has mounted a robust response to recent claims that progress of the Green Deal is being hampered by a lack of insulation installers.
Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA, was responding to the reports that Ed Davey, Secretary of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change has suggested that a lack of Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) installers is having as negatiove impact on the Government's flagship energy efficiency scheme.
"There are currently over 500 Green Deal Registered SWI Installers and our industry carried out around 80,000 SWI installations under the previous CESP Scheme in 2012," he explained.
"SWI installations under the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation stood at just 3,100 at the end of May 2013, an annualised equivalent of just 7,500 jobs in 2013. This is a huge drop in numbers.
“Many NIA members have also invested heavily in increasing SWI capacity to ramp up for the ‘market transformation’ that DECC envisaged under the Green Deal and ECO and there is currently excess industry capacity.
“Therefore, the lack of SWI uptake under the Green Deal and ECO is related to a lack of demand and not a shortage of supply.
“We would therefore urge DECC to seriously consider and act upon the proposals that the NIA and others have put to them to increase demand and thereby accelerate and significantly increase the levels of insulation activity in Green Deal and ECO.”
The NIA represents the manufacturers, system designers and installers of cavity wall, external wall and internal wall insulation, loft insulation and draught proofing. The NIA and its members are committed to providing a high quality, value for money service to householders, housing managers, developers and businesses.