Value Underlines NIA Installer Membership

2018 Installer memberships for the National Insulation Association (NIA) are now available. Representing insulation companies throughout the UK, the NIA offer a range of expert support services with memberships starting at just £663.

Features of NIA Membership

As a team of insulation specialists the NIA work full time to meet the needs of its members. The benefits to installers taking up a membership include:

•          Representing member’s views to Government, Ofgem, energy              companies and other stakeholders.
•          Generating over 40,000 free leads and referrals each year.
•          Holding local networking events and an annual conference and              gala dinner.
•         Provision of advice and guidance on regulations and technical                matters.

Speaking of the NIA’s continued growth Chief Executive Neil Marshall said:

“We have been working hard to ensure that the services and support we provide to insulation companies are relevant and add genuine value to their businesses and this has been reflected in the number of new members that have joined us in the last year – over 40 in total including a cross section of manufacturers, system designers, installers and providers of components and services to our industry.

The NIA is also undergoing further change at present, with a focus on members and their needs as outlined by the NIA’s new chair Derek Horrocks at the NIA Conference in December 2017 – we very much hope insulation companies will come with us on this exciting phase of the NIA’s evolution.

Finally, there are some very important matters that will impact insulation companies in 2018 including; a new Energy Company Obligation, new regulations requiring the insulation of private rented properties, new PAS2030 and PAS2035 installation standards for installers and new ventilation requirements when insulating properties.  We are involved in these matters and will be arranging briefings, advice and guidance for our members throughout the year to ensure they are up to speed”

2018 NIA Installer Membership

A full year Installer Membership to the NIA is from £995 (no joining fee). However, any installers joining from January 2018 will be entitled to a reduced pro rata fee. Memberships will be available for £663 and will be valid until October 2018 (NIA’s year-end)

Insulation installers interested in taking up an NIA membership can email bev.hodson@nia-uk.org 01525 383313

NIA Announces New Chairman

Following the departure of Tony Hardiman, Chair of the NIA Strategic Board in June the NIA has appointed his replacement as Derek Horrocks, Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Group and previously Vice Chair of the NIA.

Commenting on his new role Derek said: "I am delighted and honoured to take over as Chair of the NIA and look forward to working with Mike, Neil and his team, other Board Members and NIA Members in building upon the success of the NIA in supporting its members. 

“I firmly believe that we need to engage and interact with all of our members effectively going forward to our mutual benefit and ensure the combined voice of the NIA and its members is listened to and acted upon in ensuring a long term sustainable future for us all.”

The new appointment also means that a new Vice Chair has also been announced as Mike Easdon, Managing Director at InBuild Solutions and serving NIA Board Member.

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA added: “I’m very pleased with the new appointments and would like to take this opportunity on behalf of myself and the NIA Board to thank Tony Hardiman for the first class job he has performed as Chair of the NIA for the past 12 years and wish him all the best for the future.”

Companies interested in NIA Membership should email Maeva.Robson@nia-uk.org or call the office on 01525383313

Ends

NIA and NLA partnership to help landlords meet new regulations

The National InsulationAssociation (NIA) and National Landlords Association (NLA) have come together to provide landlords with an easy to use online facility to find local insulation installers to help meet energy efficiency standards.

Both organisations are advising landlords that they should be taking action soon in order to upgrade their properties by 1^st April 2018. This is when the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) will come into force and require rented properties to have an EPC rating of E or above before they can be legally let.

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA commented: “Our partnership with the NLA will provide a timely service to help Private Landlords to meet the new energy efficiency standards.   Landlords can contact local NIA Installer members via the NLA or NIA websites to arrange a survey and quotation. They can be safe in the knowledge that NIA installers will have met stringent criteria and sign up to the NIA’s Code of Professional Practice providing added assurance and recourse.”

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of the National Landlords Association (NLA), said:

"It's important that landlords have access to the most trusted and reliable of local specialists, particularly when it comes to insulation, and we hope that this online service will enable landlords to meet their obligations by making their properties more energy efficient."    

Minister for Energy and Industry, Jesse Norman said:  "This is a welcome initiative from the NIA and the National Landlords Association, which should help people improve the energy efficiency of their homes and save money on their heating bills."

Landlords should be thinking about what they need to do to meet MEES and how they can provide warmer homes for their tenants.  The minimum E rating may be raised in the future and so landlords with buildings rated F or G may decide that they wish to spend more than the minimum in order to bring those buildings to D or above.

For more information about how landlords can find an NIA member visit www.nia-uk.org  or call 08451 636363 

Ends

NIA response to the publication of the ‘Each Home Counts’ Review

Following the publication of the report on Friday 16^th December 2016, Neil Marshall the CEO of the National Insulation Association (NIA) responded: "The NIA has contributed a significant amount to the review and we were pleased to see that the input we have provided and the work that the NIA and its members is already carrying out to further improve quality and standards has been recognised in the report.  We fully support the review and will be meeting with Peter Bonfield and his team early in the new year to discuss the recommendations and how the NIA and its members can contribute to the implementation of these."

Marshall added: "As the leading trade association for insulation in the UK the NIA and its members is committed to quality and customer service.  Our members meet robust criteria and sign up to a strict code of professional practice, providing householders and specifiers with added reassurance and peace of mind.

"In anticipation of the recommendations of the Review we began work in developing enhanced industry standards and specifications some months ago for insulation measures including Cavity Wall Insulation, External Wall Insulation, Loft Insulation and Room in Roof Insulation which we will be rolling out in 2017."

NIA to host Solid Wall Insulation Summit to take forward recommendations from Chief Construction Advisers Report

In November 2015, Peter Hansford the Chief Construction Adviser published a report to the Green Construction Board and Government ‘SOLID WALL INSULATION Unlocking Demand and Driving Up Standards’. The report contained details of the huge potential for solid wall insulation and the multiple benefits that insulating the 7 million plus solid wall properties could provide.  It set out a number of key recommendations including:

• Policy measures including regulation and incentives
• Research
• Quality Standards
• Consumer awareness and engagement

Whilst the Green Construction Board and Government were invited to respond to the recommendations, the Chief Construction Adviser said in the report that he believed that industry can take early action without necessarily waiting for Government’s response.

Responding on behalf of industry at the launch of the report on 12th November 2015 our CEO Neil Marshall welcomed the report but called for more ambitious timescales for implementation and explained that “There were plenty of examples of best practice that can be quickly and easily adopted into a unified approach and that the National Insulation Association (NIA) as the major trade body for solid wall insulation in the UK was committed to taking a leadership role in the implementation of the recommendations in the report”.

To this end, the NIA is today announcing its intention to convene a Solid Wall Insulation Summit to which it will be inviting representatives from key external stakeholders including Government, housing organisations, fuel poverty organisations, energy advice organisations etc. The aim of the Summit will be to review the recommendations contained in the report and identify which of these can be implemented without delay and how to facilitate this.

Announcing the NIA Solid Wall Insulation Summit today Neil Marshall, CEO of the NIA said: “There are over 7 million homes that have solid walls that are not insulated and among these half of all fuel poor households require solid wall insulation.  The report published by the Chief Construction Adviser last November with input from industry identified key actions that could be undertaken to unlock the potential for solid wall insulation many of which can be implemented quickly.  The report encouraged the industry to take early action and that is exactly what we are doing through hosting this Summit. I'm pleased to announce that Peter Hansford has already confirmed that he will be attending the summit."

For more information contact Neil.Marshall@nia-uk.org

Our response to Government proposals to improve 100 housing estates in England.

Speaking to the BBC over the weekend, Prime Minister David Cameron said that Government is to spend £140m, with added money from the private sector, to demolish existing housing estates and rebuild homes that people feel they can have a real future in.

Commenting on the proposals, Neil Marshall, CEO of the National Insulation Association (NIA) said: “Whilst we support the Prime Minister’s proposals to improve housing estates in England we are concerned that the plans appear to focus purely on demolition and rebuilding.  Housing estates can be regenerated and transformed by upgrading the existing properties including the installation of attractive external wall insulation.  The cost of upgrading estates is significantly less than demolition and rebuilding which means more households could be helped with the money.  In addition, upgrading the existing buildings avoids the hassle and disruption of having to re-house the occupants which is associated with demolition and rebuilding.

“We would therefore urge the Prime Minister to reconsider the proposals and focus more of the investment on upgrading existing properties.”    

NIA response to SWI report

The National Insulation Association welcomes the Chief Construction Advisers Solid Wall Insulation Report – ‘Unlocking Demand and Driving Up Standards’ and sets out plans to host a meeting of key stakeholders in the new year to consider actions arising.

On 12th November 2015 Peter Hansford, Chief Construction Adviser published an independent report following an eight month review of the solid wall insulation market which involved the consideration of written and oral evidence from a range of stakeholders.

As the lead trade association for solid wall insulation in the UK representing manufacturers, system designers and installers of both external and internal wall insulation, the NIA had considerable input to the report and our CEO Neil Marshall was invited to respond to the report on behalf of the industry at the launch event on 12th November.  

Welcoming the report he said: "For some time now we have been calling for a comprehensive Business Plan to be developed to insulate the UK's solid wall properties in a systematic and cost effective manner and therefore we welcome the review and recommendations carried out by Peter Hansford and his team.  It is extremely encouraging and reassuring to see that Peter has picked up on the key issues raised and suggestions made by the industry through the written and oral evidence provided and that there has been strong cross departmental involvement and support from DECC, DCLG and BIS – this is vital in ensuring a joined up approach to future policies and regulations.

"This report is a crucial first step and provides a platform for the development of an overall business plan to insulate the UKs solid wall properties.  However, the outcome of the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review will be extremely important too as it will set out the Governments level of ambition.  We strongly support the current Energy Bill Revolution Campaign for energy efficiency to become a funded infrastructure priority as we need to go allot further than the Governments current stated ambition of insulating 1m homes over five years if we are to make a significant impression on the UK's solid wall insulation housing stock.

  

"A positive response and the adoption of key recommendations from the report by Government is now needed and it is essential that the Government works with the industry in developing the detailed implementation plan – a leadership forum as recommended is a very good idea but we need to make sure that the right people are involved and I for one would like to see a far more ambitious timescale for doing this, 6 months rather than 12.  There are plenty of examples of best practice that can be quickly and easily adopted into a unified approach and at the NIA we have already established a solid wall insulation external stakeholder support group which could be drawn upon."  

In response to specific points contained in the report he added:

• To date a ‘one size fits all’ approach has tended to be adopted to solid wall insulation but this needs to change.   A segmented and targeted approach is needed taking into account building type, tenure, the occupants and the different solutions available external, internal and hybrid wall insulation. 
• The Government now needs to quantify the overall business case for solid wall insulation taking into account the multiple benefits identified in the report using its own analysis and models in order to determine the appropriate level of investment required.
• A significant part of the report is concerned with quality and standards and whilst we recognise that there is scope for further improvement there are some very good companies carrying out some very good work and there are different approaches taken in different market sectors.   We now need to develop a comprehensive industry wide QA framework for the residential retrofit market that sets out clear and consistent standards and practices which are  mandated and subject to robust enforcement.  We need to ensure that all companies operating in our industry in future operate to the same level as the best performers.  To this end we initiated the development of a new industry wide QA framework several months ago with input from industry and key stakeholders and this is now feeding into the Bonfield review.  
• However, whilst the industry can do its bit, there are a number of external factors linked to policy and regulations that contribute to quality and these need to be addressed too; light touch accreditation, variations in practices between energy companies, certification bodies and guarantee providers, rates paid for work and erratic work profiling.
• In terms of delivery, we believe an area based, street by street approach could play an important role as it could deliver significant economies of scale and enables all householders to be engaged and encouraged to act having seen the results that can be achieved in neighbouring properties.
• And last but not least, we need to educate and engage consumers far more effectively than we have to date.  Currently there is a very low level of awareness of the availability of solid wall insulation solutions let alone the benefits provided.  Research has shown that a large number of those people living in solid wall properties do not believe they can be insulated.  We would therefore like to see a high level Government endorsed consumer awareness and engagement programme backed by targeted incentives that will really make a difference.

In terms of next steps it is anticipated that there will be a Government response to the report over the next few months however, Peter Hansford has strongly advised industry not to wait for the Government response and to take the actions arising from the report that it can proceed with on its own. 

To this end, whilst the NIA is already undertaking a number of initiatives to increase the demand for and uptake of solid wall insulation and to further enhance industry standards, acting on the advice from Peter Hansford our CEO will be convening a meeting of a number of key stakeholders who have had input to the review early in the new year in order to identify actions arising from the report that can be taken forward in a co-ordinated and timely manner.  

ENDS

Response to Amber Rudd Energy Policy Re-set Speech

In a speech this morning the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change,  Amber Rudd said that she intended to prioritise energy security and cutting energy bills.

However, there was little mention of energy efficiency which has a key role to play in addressing these issues and the Energy Bill Revolution Campaign has expressed serious concerns stating that: “A commitment to only deliver energy efficiency measures in 1 million homes marks a 78% reduction in the number of homes that received support during the last Parliament.  

So if this pledge is fulfilled it marks a catastrophic fall in the number of households helped. That means  higher energy bills and less energy security.  With £100 Billion due to be spent by Government on infrastructure during this Parliament, energy efficiency must now be made an infrastructure investment priority to provide the funds needed to deliver warm homes for all and boost the economy.”

Neil Marshall CEO of the NIA commented: “With over 5m homes needing cavity wall insulation, over 7m homes needing solid wall insulation and 7m homes requiring loft insulation we share the concerns of the Energy Bill Revolution Campaign and are calling for Government to be far more ambitious in its support for energy efficiency in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.”

He went on to say: “Making energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority can make a real difference.  Recent research from Frontier Economics shows this would bring an £8.7 billion net economic benefit to the country, comparable to HS2 Phase 1 and Crossrail.  This would boost GDP growth, reduce UK reliance on gas imports and help deliver a net increase in employment across the country.  It would also help keep energy bills down and warm up the homes of the fuel poor."

NIA appoints new Solid Wall Insulation Governing Council

The National Insulation Association (NIA) has appointed a new Solid Wall Insulation Council made up of leading industry figures to support its drive to expand the solid wall insulation market and opportunities for its members.  

The new Council is as follows:

Derek Horrocks - Sustainable Building Services (UK) Ltd - Chair

David Lawrence - Lawtech Ltd – Vice Chair

Mike Easdon - InBuild Solutions Ltd

Sean Stevenson - Westville Ltd

Tony Hardiman - Dyson Energy Services Ltd

David Robson - InstaGroup Ltd

Pádraig Barry - Saint-Gobain Weber Ltd

Gary Bundy - Sto Ltd

Bob Deane - Wetherby Building Systems Ltd
Paul Winwood - SPS Envirowall Ltd

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA commented; “I very much look forward to working with the new Council over the coming two years in driving forward our ambitious plans to grow the market, strengthen quality and standards across the industry and support our members in maximising business opportunities.

The NIA is the leading trade association for solid wall insulation in the UK with its members including the major manufacturers, system designers and installers of both external and internal wall insulation.

Companies wishing to join the NIA should contact Bev Coombe by email

bev.coombe@nia-uk.org or call 01525 383313

Up to £4,000 towards the cost of Solid Wall Insulation now available through Government’s Green Deal Home Improvement Fund

The Government’s popular Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) is to reopen for applications at 9am on Wednesday 10th December 2014 in England and Wales and the National Insulation Association (NIA) is urging householders to contact its members to take advantage of the scheme to upgrade their property’s energy efficiency.

Under the GDHIF householders can apply for:

• Up to £4,000 towards the cost of installing Solid Wall Insulation 
• Up to £1,000 for installing two measures from an approved list including cavity wall insulation, floor insulation, roof insulation and central heating boilers and.
• Up to £100 rebate towards the cost of a Green Deal Advice Report.

The scheme also entitles those who have bought a property in the 12 months before applying to qualify for an additional £500 if they carry out energy efficiency improvements.

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA commented: “The NIA welcomes the return of the GDHIF and the Government’s continued commitment to helping households to reduce their fuel bills and increase the comfort of their homes. Under the new scheme, householders will need to obtain a quotation for the work to be undertaken in order to apply for a voucher. Therefore, we are urging householders to contact their local Green Deal accredited NIA Installer or Green Deal Provider members without delay to find out more about GDHIF and arrange a survey and quotation.”

Householders  can be safe in the knowledge that an NIA member will have signed up to a strict Code of Professional Practice, meaning peace of mind comes as standard.

To find a local Green Deal accredited NIA installer or Green Deal Provider member and details on the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund householders and landlords should visit the NIA website www.nia-uk.org or call 08451 636363.

The Chief Executive of the National Insulation Association urges the public to take heed and think insulation first during Big Energy Saving Week

Neil Marshall, NIA Chief Executive said:  “20-24 October is Big Energy Saving Week and will see numerous helpful facts given about saving costs on fuels bills. But we must stress that above all else, fitting adequate insulation first needs to be the priority. Doing so will enable householders to make major savings on their fuel bills year after year without even having to think about it.”

The amounts that can be saved on fuel bills are substantial:

• Solid Wall Insulation will  save up to £460 per annum
• Cavity Wall Insulation will save up to £250 per annum
• The correct depth of Loft Insulation can save £250 per annum
• Draught Proofing will provide  a yearly saving  of up to  £50

Marshall went on to voice his concerns over the millions of households that are yet to be properly insulated: “It is staggering that despite years of campaigning, and rising energy bills over 7 million solid walls and 5 million cavity walls still need insulating. There are also 7 million lofts that have inadequate insulation and are in need of topping up!”

The NIA is therefore urging householders to contact an NIA member to find out if their home requires insulation and to arrange a quotation.  Householders can be safe in the knowledge that an NIA installer will have signed up to a strict Code of Professional Practice, meaning peace of mind comes as standard with an NIA member.

To find a local NIA member householders should visit the NIA website www.nia-uk.org

NIA welcomes additional £100m for household energy efficiency through Green Deal Home Improvement Fund but calls for further action to insulate the UK housing stock

The National Insulation Association (NIA) has welcomed today’s announcement by Government that an additional £100m will be provided to help fund energy efficiency improvements through the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) but is urging all political parties to go much further and commit to making Energy Efficiency Retrofit an Infrastructure Priority.

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive at the National Insulation Association said: “Following the significant reduction in insulation activity under ECO after cuts were announced by Government in July and the closure of the initial GDHIF after just 6 weeks, we have been urging Government to inject additional funding into the GDHIF this winter to help hard pressed households reduce their energy bills and stay warm. We are therefore delighted that Government has listened and responded by announcing an additional £100m today.

“However, whilst this will provide much needed short term relief, we need to go beyond short term, stop start schemes and incentives and put in place a long term plan and funding mechanism if we are to insulate the UK housing stock in a timely manner. With over 7 million homes having inadequate Loft Insulation, over 5 million that require Cavity Wall Insulation and almost 8 million homes that need Solid Wall Insulation we need to significantly strengthen energy efficiency policies and programmes.

“To this end the NIA is calling on all political parties to recognise that home energy efficiency needs to be defined as a National Infrastructure Priority with public investment to support the most vulnerable households and to create the confidence for the industry to scale up investment over the long term.”