NIA announces the formation of a dedicated working group to focus on new build and commercial sectors

A great deal of media attention and policy development in the insulation sector is focused on retrofitting existing domestic buildings.  However, there is tremendous untapped potential for insulation in the new build, SMEs and commercial markets.

At the National Insulation Association (NIA) we have identified a gap in the market and the need for an industry body to educate specifiers and building owners in these sectors on the benefits of insulation and the solutions available. It would also make recommendations to Government and other key stakeholders on policies to stimulate activity in these particular sectors.

Therefore the NIA is announcing the formation of a dedicated working group within the association, which will comprise of industry experts in these market sectors to take this work forward.

NIA develops new standards and specifications for solid wall insulation with leading industry partners

As part of its on-going work to improve the quality and standards of insulation installations, provide reassurance to householders, specifiers and support to its members, the National Insulation Association (NIA) has and is undertaking a range of activities with leading industry partners including:

• Collaborated with BTOpenreach in developing a new process for installers of external wall insulation to notify Openreach prior to installation so they can survey the properties and carry out any enabling works.  This new, improved process is both quicker and cheaper for installers than the previous one.
• Worked with the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) and British Standards Institution (BSI Group) in developing new industry wide best practice guidance and a specification for dealing with appliance flues, combustion air ventilators, fuel supply pipework and fittings during the installation of external wall insulation.
• Currently working with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in the development of industry wide best practice guidance and a specification for the initial assessment and survey of buildings to receive Solid Wall Insulation.
• Working alongside the Solid Wall Insulation Guarantee Agency (SWIGA) and British Board of Agrément (BBA) in strengthening the quality assurance frameworks and surveillance of solid wall insulation. 

This work is in addition to the NIA’s strict membership criteria and Code of Professional Practice that applies to its registered installers.

Neil Marshall, CEO of the NIA said: “As the leading industry trade body for insulation in the UK we are committed to improving quality standards. We are feeding into the independent review of quality standards and consumer protection currently being undertaken on behalf of Government.  In carrying out this work we feel it is important to work with other leading industry bodies to ensure a holistic and robust approach”.    

Interest free loans for home insulation now available from the Scottish Government – contact an NIA member for details.

The Scottish Government HEEPS Loan Scheme for energy efficiency measures is now open and the National Insulation Association (NIA) is urging Scottish householders to contact its members to take advantage of the scheme to upgrade their property’s insulation.

Householders can obtain an interest free loan of up to £15,000 for installing a variety of measures including solid wall, cavity wall, loft and roof insulation, draught proofing and boilers.

The scheme is open to owner occupiers, private tenants and registered private sector landlords in Scotland. The repayment period varies based on the amount borrowed but those taking out higher value loans for solid wall insulation for example will be able to pay back over 10 years.

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA commented: “We welcome the loan scheme which will make home insulation more affordable and we are urging householders in Scotland to contact their local NIA registered member to find out if their home requires additional insulation and for details of this scheme.

 “By installing SWI savings of up to £455 per year can be made on fuel bills and £275 per year from CWI. Loft Insulation can also save up to £240 per year and Draught-proofing windows and doors can save between £25 and £50 per year and when installed with other measures will greatly increase the comfort in a home.”

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

To find a local NIA registered member, householders and landlords in Scotland should visit the NIA website www.niaconsumer.co.uk

NIA proposes urgent action on Fuel Poverty

The National Insulation Association (NIA) is calling for immediate action including a cross party debate following last night’s Panorama Report ‘Too Poor to Stay Warm’ and a new report by the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE) showing a collapse in support for energy efficiency under the current Government/Parliament.

The Panorama Report revealed that:

·                     There are still more than 5 million  people in fuel poverty (20% of the population) despite a commitment from Parliament in 2000 to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016.

·                     Government is only requiring energy companies to make 1 million homes warmer by 2020.

·                     There were 9.000 deaths last year attributable to people living in cold homes.

The report by ACE revealed that:

·                     There will be a decline in energy efficiency measures installed of 73% (6 million  to 1.6 million) in the current parliament compared to the previous one.

·                     The number of households helped will decline by 76% from 5 million to 1.2 million  in the current parliament compared to the previous one.

·                     The level of investment will decline by 53% from £6.8bn to £3.2bn in the current parliament to the previous one.   

·                     The main cause of the decline is the cancellation of the Government's Warm Front Programme which provided free heating and insulation for fuel poor households and cutting the Energy Company Obligation in half from 2017.

·                     By contrast the Scottish Government is providing £100m of Government funding for heating and insulation for Scottish Householders in 2016/17 in addition to the Energy Company Obligation which is the equivalent of an additional £1bn spend in England.

Neil Marshall the NIA’s CEO said; “The report by Panorama is shocking! It is totally unacceptable for 5 million people to be living in fuel poverty and 9,000 people to have died last year due to living in cold homes in this day and age.  In addition, the report by ACE clearly highlights the extent of the problem with a massive reduction in Government support for fuel poor households through heating and insulation."  

“Therefore, we are calling for an urgent cross party debate involving representatives from consumer groups and industry to agree a plan of action to genuinely tackle fuel poverty once and for all and as part of this there needs to be agreement to a huge increase in support for free heating and insulation which can be achieved by making Energy Efficiency a National Infrastructure Priority."

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

New NIA Quality Assurance Frameworks will help restore confidence & clearly differentiate its members

In July 2015 the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Amber Rudd, announced the Bonfield Review, an independent review into quality standards and consumer protection for energy efficiency measures.  Since the start of the review the National Insulation Association (NIA) has been directly involved in the work taking place.

The NIA and its registered members are committed to quality and standards and as part of its work under the Bonfield Review it has initiated the development of new quality assurance frameworks that will apply to its registered members installing external wall, internal wall, cavity wall, loft insulation and draught-proofing.  The frameworks will include robust criteria for member companies and a range of standards covering the building survey, system design, installation, after care and maintenance. They will set the quality bar for insulation companies and clearly differentiate its registered members from non-members.

Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA commented: “We are committed to leading the quality agenda and this is demonstrated through our current criteria and standards and the enhanced QA Frameworks we are now developing.  We would therefore urge consumers and specifiers including Local Authorities, Housing Associations and Procurement Framework Operators to use our members to carry out any insulation work.  In addition, we would urge installers who share our values to join us now so that they can be part of the frameworks and will not be excluded from tenders and specifications going forward.

“The NIA also runs an ‘expressions of interest and tender request’ service.  Through this free service we issue requests to our registered members on behalf of LA’s, HA’s, other specifiers and project managers which provides them with the benefit of avoiding the need to contact lots of different companies and is immediate,  saving time and money.”

Details of the expressions of interest service and NIA Membership can be found on the NIA website www.nia-uk.org  or email 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.”