NIA welcomes Government response to ECO Help to Heat consultation

Commenting on this mornings Government response Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the National Insulation Association (NIA) said:" We welcome the changes that Government has made which will mean thousands more households will receive assistance through free and subsidised insulation.

The Government has listened and responded to the views and evidence provided by industry including the NIA. The principle changes are as follows:

• An increased 18 month vs 12 month scheme 
• 75% of the work delivered will be through home insulation 
• 60% increase in the carbon target 
• Significant increase in the Solid Wall Insulation minima in addition householders added to the low income group
• Simplification of the scheme administration which will enable more money to be spent on actual insulation measures 

Ends 

New Quality Standards for Insulation Companies - NIA can help you to comply

From 1st April strict new national  quality standards will be introduced for cavity wall, external wall, loft insulation and room in roof insulation, as part of PAS2030, which installers will be required to work to.

The National Insulation Association (NIA) is involved in setting these new standards and we are helping our members to ensure they can comply with them by 1st April.

If your company would like our help please contact us about membership today.
Bev Hodson Bev.hodson@nia-uk.org 01525 383313

NIA statement in response to article in Mail on Sunday – 22/1/2017

Today the Mail on Sunday has run a widely inaccurate and misleading story about cavity wall insulation and the cavity wall insulation industry.

We strongly dispute the findings in the article and Neil Marshall CEO of the NIA has issued the following statement:

“These figures are widely inaccurate as thermal cameras in isolation are ill-equipped to assess the effectiveness of cavity wall insulation and should only be considered as part of a range of inspection measures.

“Cavity wall insulation is very reliable – of the six million households who benefit from the product and hold a CIGA Guarantee only 13,000 have ever reported any problems, a claim rate of just 0.24%.

“Cavity wall insulation is a trusted product and proven to keep homes warm and fuel bills down, with independent research showing it saves families up to £275 a year in energy costs.

“The industry has robust procedures in place to ensure installers are qualified, use approved products and only fit cavity wall insulation in suitable homes.

“In the rare instances things do go wrong, the industry has well-established systems of redress, to ensure consumers get the help they need and deserve.”

ENDS

NOTES

• Thermal imaging in isolation is an inappropriate method of assessing cavity wall insulation.  The IRT data appears to be based on computer analysis of thermal images rather than a detailed study of the property or an intrusive survey.

• British homes are some of the least energy efficient in Europe, resulting in soaring energy bills, increasing fuel poverty and an increasing reliance on foreign gas imports.

• Independent research by the Energy Saving Trust has shown that installing CWI in a detached property can result in an annual saving of up to £275.

• Statistics from CIGA show that, since 1995, they have issued a total of 5,853,184 guarantees across the UK. In the same time period the overall claim rate was just 0.24%, or around 13,000 households.

• To be compliant with building regulations, CWI can only be installed in adherence to the various controls described below, amongst others:

• The product itself must be recognised by a certification body, such as the British Board of Agrement (BBA).
• Surveillance is also undertaken by the BBA to assess and approve installers. This includes carrying out site based assessments and routine surveillance of completed work.
• The leading industry guarantee provider CIGA also carries out its own additional checks. This ensures that the insulation itself, along with the method of installation, are of the highest standard.
• Work completed under frameworks, such as the Energy Company Obligation, are also subject to an added layer of independent technical monitoring in addition to the standards described above.

If you require further information please contact the NIA Press Office - Duncan Murray – duncan@provencepr.co.uk 

NIA welcomes the acquisition of the Green Deal Finance Company

The NIA and its members see the acquisition of the Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC) by Greenstone Finance and Aurium Capital Markets announced on 15th January 2017 as a positive development. It will provide a further option for consumers to finance the purchase of insulation measures to reduce their bills. It is vital that they learn the lessons from the previous Green Deal scheme in order to make the offer as simple and attractive as possible for householders and businesses. We are looking forward to working with the new management team at the GDFC to contribute to this.

Important Announcement for Specifiers of Insulation Works and Companies

PAS2030 which governs the national standards that installers must work to in the installation of energy efficiency measures is currently being revised and a new version will be published at the end of January 2017.

The new PAS2030 will be far more comprehensive and robust than the current one and include the following additional items:

·                The initial assessment of properties for suitability to receive the measures.

·                The system design and design detailing.

·                Specific industry standards and specifications setting out the standards all installers must work to such as the new NIA Specification for installing EWI with fuel burning appliances, Room in Roof Insulation survey form and best practice guide and loft insulation specification.

·                Stricter competency ratios (number of trained operatives) per site.

·                All sub-contractors will need to be PAS2030 accredited as well as the main contractor.

Whilst the improvements to PAS2030 are welcomed, they will only be as effective as the strength of the monitoring and enforcement by the PAS2030 Certification Bodies.

Therefore at the NIA will be adding the requirement for our members to adhere strictly to PAS2030 to our rules of membership.  If we then receive reports/complaints from specifiers of insulation works that an NIA installer member is not complying with PAS2030 we will investigate this and take strong disciplinary action including suspension or expulsion if a breech is discovered.

We would therefore urge specifiers of insulation works including Local Authorities, Housing Associations, Energy Companies, Builders and Architects to choose NIA members to carry out work and incorporate a requirement for NIA membership in their future tenders for insulation projects as this will provide an additional level of assurance and enforcement.

To help specifiers in this regard we have introduced a new ‘Expressions of Interest and Tender Request’ Service whereby if specifiers provide us with details of projects and specifications we will circulate these to our members saving them time and money.

Specifiers interested in the service should contact Bev Hodson bev.hodson@nia-uk.org 01525 383313

Specifiers can also find details of local NIA installers on our website click HERE