Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Schemes

This consultation invites views on how consumer protection for home upgrades should be reformed to support delivery of the Warm Homes Plan.

In most cases, work on government schemes is safe and carried out to a high standard. However, evidence of failings in Energy Company Obligation 4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme, has highlighted weaknesses in the current consumer protection and oversight framework for home upgrades.

In October 2025, the Minister for Energy Consumers set out the following priorities for reforming the consumer protection system:

1. Work should be right first time. Consumers must be able to trust that work will be done right the first time in all but the rarest circumstances.
2. Simplicity. People should not be expected to navigate a variety of organisations when they want to make changes to improve their homes.
3. Swift remediation and a straightforward process for redress. In those rare cases where things do go wrong, there must be clear lines of accountability, so that consumers have defined routes to get work fixed and are protected financially.

To achieve this, this consultation proposes various reforms including:

• creating a single end-to-end consumer protection service, accountable to government and responsible for system oversight and performance, as well as providing advice, case management and support for consumers
• using strong binding agreements across the system to enforce delivery obligations and improve accountability for service quality, consumer experience and outcomes
• developing a government-owned data system to support earlier identification of systemic risks, target audits and improve performance management
• introducing of a publicly accessible register of installers and retrofit professionals approved to work on government schemes

The consultation will be of interest to the home upgrade sector, including those involved in the installation of solar panels, insulation, batteries, and heat pumps, as well as consumers and groups representing consumer interests.

Read our consultation privacy notice.