- 21 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Tonight, botched home insulation.
00:03Oh, we were horrified.
00:04To suddenly be confronted, you know, with a significant problem.
00:07Can't be awake at night.
00:09Who is footing the bill?
00:11The government eco-schemes are funded by the energy companies,
00:13so it's our energy bills that are paying for this.
00:17Who do you trust to get work done on your house?
00:20I think it is a scandal.
00:21In some cases, people are worse off than before they started,
00:25so that's incredibly disappointing.
00:27And the home energy scams to avoid.
00:31So these parts here, they could potentially cause a house fire
00:33because the wiring in there is so dangerous.
00:36Good evening and welcome to the Tonight programme.
00:39Energy bills are on the rise again,
00:42and with the cost of living, people are looking for ways to save money.
00:45So, for some, the government's green energy grants
00:48offering insulation seemed like a lifeline,
00:52but for many, they've turned into a nightmare.
00:54So how do you know who to trust
00:56when it comes to getting work carried out at home?
00:59Charlotte Hawkins has been finding out.
01:00For the past two decades, successive governments have been keen for us all
01:25to embrace green home improvements, such as insulation and solar panels,
01:30to be eco-friendly, but also to lower our bills.
01:34Ultimately, this is about people living in warmer homes,
01:37paying lower bills, and having more control over their own lives and their own comfort.
01:42In South Wales, Cathy thought she was doing the right thing
01:47when she got spray foam loft insulation back in 2018.
01:51She paid £3,500 to have it installed.
01:56I think there was a general awareness about climate change
01:59and the need to reduce emissions.
02:02We did our research into the company that we used.
02:05They had good reviews.
02:06Their paperwork seemed to be pretty comprehensive.
02:08At first, Cathy was happy with how the job had been carried out.
02:14We used a firm called Home Logic UK, and they seemed very professional.
02:19And we didn't really sort of think too much more about it
02:21until a couple of years ago when it became apparent
02:24that this spray foam was beginning to cause issues.
02:29Through the roof, the Yorkshire homeowners...
02:31Despite being offered on government schemes,
02:34warnings about incorrectly installed spray foam began to emerge.
02:38250,000 people were affected. Will she give justice to them too?
02:43After seeing news coverage, Cathy was worried about her insulation,
02:47so she got an independent surveyor to check the work.
02:51They told her it had been fitted incorrectly.
02:53Oh, we were horrified.
02:56You know, this has been our home, best on 40 years.
02:59We've been very happy here.
03:00And to suddenly be confronted, you know, with a significant problem,
03:05you know, was a worry.
03:06Can't be awake at night.
03:08Seven years on from having the insulation fitted,
03:11she appealed to Home Logic UK,
03:13the company who fitted the insulation.
03:15They sent someone to inspect the work
03:17and claimed the spray foam was fitted as per product specifications
03:21and refused to remove it.
03:25Home Logic UK have not responded to our complaint
03:29in any substantive way at all.
03:31Here is where cables have been encapsulated.
03:34Cathy couldn't go to court
03:35because the time limit for legal action had passed
03:38and because she paid on her debit card
03:40and the work was done over six years ago,
03:43consumer protection wasn't available.
03:45I think we're having to sort of accept
03:48that there is just no redress available to us.
03:51Cathy first complained to Home Logic in July,
03:54but since filming began,
03:56they have announced they've ceased trading
03:58as of the 7th of November 2025.
04:02There's lots and lots of cowboys doing this type of work
04:04and that has to stop.
04:05And I think the government needs to step in
04:07and regulate the sector.
04:08There needs to be far more oversight and regulation.
04:12These companies open and close overnight
04:14and, you know, you can go through small claims,
04:17but it can be very, very difficult.
04:19So there's very little recourse for people
04:21who've had spray foam installed incorrectly.
04:24The company that's taken over Home Logic's warranties
04:27since its closure told tonight
04:29they are looking into Cathy's case.
04:32The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us...
04:36We are working with a range of stakeholders
04:39to address the problems with spray foam,
04:41resolve accessibility of financial products,
04:44strengthen enforcement against rogue traders
04:46and we're exploring options to support people
04:49with substandard work.
04:52We'll catch up with Cathy again later in the programme.
04:56But unlike her,
04:58not everyone has to pay for green home improvements.
05:01There are a number of different government schemes
05:03that homeowners can apply for.
05:05To qualify, you need to be receiving certain benefits
05:08or have a particularly inefficient home.
05:12However, these green deals are funded by us
05:14through our energy bills.
05:17Each household pays around £140 from electricity
05:20and £50 from gas each year.
05:24The government eco schemes are funded by the profits
05:27of the energy companies, so it's our energy bills
05:30that are paying for this.
05:32So are people aware that money
05:35for government-backed green home improvements
05:37is coming out of their energy bills?
05:40I didn't know that my bills might be used
05:43to help other people.
05:44I wasn't aware of that, no.
05:45I knew quite a lot of the money went to green energy,
05:49improving that, but not people's homes
05:52and things like that.
05:53No, I definitely didn't know that at all.
05:55At the end of the day, there is a big social divide,
05:58a big pay divide, and I think everyone deserves
06:00to be able to live comfortably.
06:03Someone who qualified for one of these government schemes
06:06is Steve, a retired builder who's lived
06:09in his four-bedroom cottage for nearly 30 years.
06:12Health problems spurred him into thinking
06:14about upgrading his house.
06:16I've had a few health issues.
06:18It's back in 2016, stage four,
06:22on Hodgkinson's mantle cell lymphoma.
06:24Still ongoing, it's incurable,
06:26but knowing that there's the chance
06:28that something may happen,
06:29I thought I would get the house in order
06:33so I could leave it to the kids.
06:35Steve saw an advert online saying he could get
06:39energy-saving home improvements for free
06:41and was understandably interested.
06:44He filled out a form and a representative got in touch
06:47saying he qualified because his family received
06:50certain benefits.
06:51We got the company involved.
06:54They came in, really pushed to start the job
06:58and I was having treatment.
07:00Really insistent.
07:02Got to be now.
07:03So I reluctantly agreed, let them in the house
07:06while I wasn't here and World War III started.
07:11In 2024, Steve had interior insulation,
07:15a heat pump, new water tank and solar panels
07:18fitted to his home.
07:19It could have cost him up to £30,000
07:22if he was a paying customer.
07:24The scheme works as the big energy companies
07:26pay contractors to carry out the work.
07:29But Steve doesn't think the contractors
07:31did the work correctly.
07:33They've not put the skirtings back on.
07:35We've got electric cables coming through the wall
07:37and they've left it like this.
07:42Crucially, he was left with heating problems,
07:45which meant he and his daughter had to choose
07:47between showering and heating their home.
07:50He also discovered the new water tank was leaking.
07:54It was just running and it flooded all under this floor.
07:57It's just all delaminated.
07:58It's all falling apart.
07:59It's just like a bonsai.
08:00It's absolutely disgusting.
08:02As the work was done under the government-backed Eco4 scheme,
08:07Steve complained to Trustmark.
08:09This is the government-endorsed organisation
08:12that is meant to verify the credentials of tradespeople
08:15and is responsible for overseeing the quality of work
08:19on these schemes.
08:20They sent somebody out who seemed very shocked
08:24at the quality of workmanship.
08:26He said, but it's not my job
08:27to look at the quality of workmanship.
08:29It's got to work.
08:31Trustmark identified a number of faults
08:33with the insulation and heating system
08:35and instructed the contractors to fix these issues.
08:40The company has fixed elements of the work
08:42and offered some compensation,
08:45but Steve disputed the amount they offered
08:47and the contractors retracted their offer.
08:50The company has agreed to fix the technical faults
08:53Trustmark identified,
08:54but they dispute many of Steve's complaints,
08:57including the finish of the plastering
08:59and the damage he says they caused.
09:02Like many people who have had problems with Eco4 work,
09:06he is unsure about having the original contractors
09:09back in his home.
09:11And after trying Trustmark,
09:13he now doesn't know what to do.
09:15I've just not had energy to do anything.
09:18I've just been too ill.
09:19It's more than most people can endure.
09:22Trustmark clearly didn't provide enough oversight
09:28for this scheme.
09:29Part of the problem of the scheme as a whole
09:31is there needs to be a much better understanding
09:34of the customer experience,
09:35a much better understanding of who they can turn to
09:37and which bodies they can turn to.
09:41Back in 2021,
09:43Tonight reported on botched insulation
09:45under the government-backed Eco scheme
09:47in Carmarthenshire.
09:48Monday 30th November.
09:51Again, water is pouring in.
09:54Linda had had external wall insulation fitted incorrectly
09:58but couldn't afford to get the damage fixed
10:00or take the contractors to court.
10:03Since broadcast,
10:04there has been no form of redress for Linda
10:06and many like her.
10:08A recent National Audit Office report
10:11found that issues with the lack of oversight
10:13from Trustmark contributed to huge problems
10:16with Eco4
10:17and another government-backed initiative,
10:20the Great British Insulation Scheme.
10:23An estimated 98% of all external wall insulation
10:27fitted under Eco4
10:28has been found to be faulty,
10:31affecting tens of thousands of homes
10:33and potentially leaving them with nowhere to turn.
10:36For this particular type of insulation,
10:39I think it is a scandal.
10:40In some cases,
10:41people are worse off than before they started.
10:44So that's incredibly disappointing.
10:45That's incredibly upsetting for those households.
10:48So this is something that does require urgent action.
10:51The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said...
10:54We inherited a flawed system from the previous government
10:58and have taken decisive action
11:00to ensure poor installations of solid wall insulation
11:03are fixed at no cost to the consumer.
11:06We are introducing comprehensive reforms
11:08to make this process clear and straightforward,
11:11so problems are fixed quickly.
11:12With so many people affected,
11:17charities are now stepping in to help.
11:19Jonathan Bean is policy advisor
11:21for the charity Fuel Poverty Action.
11:24He's been showing me examples
11:25of some of the worst affected homes.
11:28What you can see there is damp gets caught behind the insulation
11:31and it all needs to be ripped out.
11:33Some of the issues are immediately noticeable,
11:36that the work hasn't been carried out properly,
11:38but others people might not know about,
11:40they might not find out about for some time.
11:43That's right.
11:43It can take several years for the impact of bad insulation
11:47to actually impact your home.
11:49So the problem could be hidden.
11:50It's like a ticking time bomb in people's homes.
11:52And I know that in order to get the job signed off,
11:55the contractors need to have the paperwork done, don't they?
11:57Yeah. There's lots of paperwork,
11:59but no-one's checking if the information on those forms
12:02is actually correct.
12:04So, for example, we've had things like forged signatures.
12:06And there's no-one at the other end going through it
12:09and checking that that correlates with the situation in reality?
12:12Trustmarks say they do desk research,
12:14but it's obviously very hard to check
12:15whether the paperwork matches reality
12:18sitting in a desk in an office somewhere.
12:21There's very little quality control
12:22because the government doesn't actually run the scheme directly.
12:25It puts the £4 billion on the table
12:27and lets private firms bid for that money.
12:30How has that been allowed to happen?
12:32There aren't enough skilled people in this country.
12:34The government hasn't invested in training of skilled people.
12:36And it hasn't invested in the checking of surveyors of the work.
12:41So what we get as a result is a lot of subcontractors
12:44being brought in last minute to do a job,
12:47which is obviously very lucrative for these companies.
12:51Because of widespread problems,
12:52the government suspended the membership of 39 companies from Trustmark,
12:57stopping them from fitting any more external wall insulation
13:00under the schemes.
13:01However, according to Trustmark's website,
13:04there are currently only seven suspended.
13:07And it appears that some of them are still claiming to be part of the government scheme
13:12carrying Trustmark and Eco4 branding on their websites.
13:17I wanted to put what we'd found to Trustmark,
13:19but they declined our request for an interview.
13:21They told us in a statement.
13:24We acted decisively when problems with Eco4
13:27and the Great British Insulation Scheme were identified.
13:31The poor workmanship is completely unacceptable,
13:33so we've been working to fix the problems.
13:36We are improving systems to spot problems earlier,
13:39but we fully accept more needs to be done.
13:41Consumer protection schemes have worked reasonably well,
13:44but reform is needed.
13:48In Telford, one company is using thermal images
13:51to assess how effective insulation schemes have been.
13:55When we see red,
13:56we see heat transfer coming from the inside of that property
13:59to the outside of the property.
14:01And for a homeowner, you're just paying to heat the street.
14:04Alex Rigglesworth, CEO at Skilled Mapping,
14:08has scanned over half a million homes across the UK
14:11that have had different types of insulation added
14:14after they were built.
14:16It's a term called retrofitting.
14:18And what he found has shocked him.
14:21Pretty much every house that is retrofitted
14:24with cavity wall insulation that we've thermal image,
14:27we see near total failure rates.
14:29We've been really surprised by the scale of retrofit failure,
14:32but also that nothing is being done
14:34and no-one seems to be monitoring retrofit at all.
14:38Alex also raises questions
14:40about how energy efficiency might change over time
14:43if the work isn't done correctly.
14:46One thing that our thermal imagery has shown
14:48is that degradation over time
14:50is happening on all of these schemes.
14:53So you might have a surveyor
14:55that assesses a retrofit after it's done,
14:58but over a year, they get damp and that fails.
15:01The serious failings identified with insulation
15:04may just be the tip of the iceberg with current schemes.
15:08Many people have also had air source heat pumps
15:12and solar panels installed,
15:14and the workmanship in some cases
15:16leaves a lot to be desired.
15:19Mick in South Wales dreamt of a peaceful retirement
15:22in a warm home in the Cambrian mountains.
15:25We just fell in love with it.
15:27In the summer, it's lovely.
15:29In the winter, they tend to be very, very hard.
15:33Mick, like tens of thousands of people across the country,
15:36took advantage of one of the Eco4 grants.
15:39Because he is retired,
15:41he qualified to have insulation,
15:43solar panels and a heat pump
15:45fitted to his home for free.
15:47The normal cost of this could be up to £30,000.
15:50Work began in 2023,
15:54but since the insulation was fitted,
15:56mould has been growing behind his furniture.
15:59Every month, we have to wipe down the walls
16:01and clear the black off of the walls.
16:04It's just gone from bad to worse.
16:07On the exterior, it's starting to peel off in places.
16:10There's cracks forming where the joints are.
16:13We don't know whether there's water getting in,
16:15but we do certainly suffer with mould,
16:18which we never did before.
16:20Mick's also had serious issues with his heat pump.
16:23He says the one installed isn't big enough for the property
16:26and now can't heat his home.
16:29In the lounge where we are at the moment,
16:31it never reaches above 19 degrees.
16:34Personally, I'm not comfortable in my own home,
16:37which I've never had before.
16:39To get it up to a comfortable temperature,
16:41we have to have the log burner on,
16:42which is defeating the object of the exercise.
16:46Mick won't sign the paperwork to approve the job.
16:49Understandably, he wants the problem sorting
16:51before he puts pen to paper.
16:54This means, however, the contractor can't get paid under Eco4
16:58and has refused to carry out the work Mick wants doing,
17:01such as installing a larger heat pump.
17:04We're not happy, we're not warm,
17:07we're just surviving, and that's not what it should be.
17:10They took out a perfectly good system
17:12and put in a very bad system
17:14that is not up to what it should be.
17:17So what's the best advice for consumers
17:19who want to avoid ending up in a similar situation to Mick?
17:23The red flags I would look out for
17:25if they're peddling one particular product,
17:28like spray foam, over regular insulation.
17:31If they've cold-called you out of the blue,
17:34if they're offering grants, compensation schemes,
17:37using really sort of strong tactics,
17:39like trying to get you to sign over within
17:41and get the work done within a couple of days.
17:45As we can see,
17:46there are all sorts of green energy pitfalls to look out for.
17:51And a lot of what scammers claim
17:52is almost always too good to be true.
17:56I've been looking into devices
17:57that claim to save you huge amounts of money
18:00on your electricity bills.
18:02So-called energy-saving plugs
18:05are freely available on online marketplaces.
18:08So I've been having a look.
18:09This saver can stabilise voltage,
18:12balance current,
18:13and provide guard,
18:14achieving energy-saving effects.
18:17That's quite something, isn't it?
18:18They're also advertising on social media platforms,
18:22and here, the claims are even more interesting.
18:25For many users,
18:26it's helped reduce electricity bills
18:28by up to 20% to 30%.
18:31There are some bold claims here
18:33at a time when people are really worried
18:35about their energy costs.
18:36I'd be interested to see
18:37whether any of these devices actually work.
18:40To get to the bottom of this,
18:42I'm heading to Consumer Insight Company, Which.
18:45Obviously, you know, we're holding these now.
18:48They've tested similar plugs
18:49that claim to save you money.
18:51We took them apart,
18:52and actually what you'll find in there
18:54is that the wiring in there
18:56is not up to UK standards.
18:58So these parts here,
18:59they might get stuck in the plug themselves,
19:01which is obviously dangerous in themselves,
19:02but also they could potentially cause a house fire
19:05because the wiring in there is so dangerous.
19:07Their tests also found absolutely no evidence
19:10the plugs could cut your energy bills,
19:13despite them being freely advertised on social media
19:16and sold on large online marketplaces.
19:19When people like us at Which report these products,
19:22the online platforms say,
19:24yes, we'll take down those adverts.
19:25And often they do,
19:27but then what we see is
19:27the manufacturers of these products
19:29will then just pop up a different ad,
19:31slightly different wording,
19:33slightly different pictures,
19:34very similar products.
19:35It's like a game of whack-a-mole.
19:37And why isn't more being done then
19:39to make sure that these aren't able to be advertised
19:43in the way that they are being?
19:44So if these were being sold by, you know,
19:47high street retailers,
19:48then there is laws in place
19:50that they have to stick to,
19:51they'd have to take them off the site
19:53and they'd have to be vigilant
19:54to make sure that they weren't reappearing on there.
19:56The issue that we're seeing
19:57is that the new laws that are now in place
19:59that govern online marketplaces,
20:01they're not being enforced properly.
20:03So we need more enforcement
20:04on those online platforms,
20:07on social media.
20:09Back in South Wales,
20:11Cathy can't live with the uncertainty
20:13of having spray foam insulation in her loft,
20:16so has employed another firm to remove it.
20:18Jacob is assessing the damage
20:20and it seems Cathy has decided to act just in time.
20:25There is mould
20:26and the mould is on the plastic felt right here.
20:30This is sort of bad news initially straight away.
20:33Because of a lack of ventilation,
20:35spray foam applied directly
20:37to certain roof underlays like Cathy's
20:40can cause up to 25% timber decay
20:43within five years.
20:44She's now having to spend an extra £7,000
20:48to get the spray foam removed
20:50and the timbers treated.
20:52All in all, she's out of pocket
20:53by over £10,000.
20:56It's a bit gawling as well,
20:58you know, when you think you're sort of
20:59listening to the government
21:01and trying to do, you know,
21:03what the government advises.
21:04And then when it all goes pear-shaped,
21:05the government backs away and says,
21:09nothing we can do here.
21:12It's for the industry to sort out.
21:16In last week's budget,
21:17the government did announce
21:19they were taking action
21:20on one of the schemes, Eco4.
21:23It is a failed scheme,
21:25and so I am scrapping it,
21:26along with taking other legacy costs off bills.
21:30This means we'll all save money
21:33on our energy bills
21:34as green home improvement schemes
21:36will no longer be funded in this way.
21:39The government are also offering people audits
21:41to assess the quality of insulation work
21:44under Eco4
21:45and want the original contractors
21:47to come and fix any issues.
21:50But is this really enough
21:51when, as we've seen,
21:53it's difficult to get contractors back
21:55to fix their work
21:56and some have even ceased trading?
21:59I feel really annoyed.
22:00I feel absolutely gutted
22:02when you hear people,
22:03and we can't really help them.
22:05Homeowners are not being protected
22:06by rogue traders in this area,
22:08particularly in the green energy space.
22:11I think the legacy of this scheme
22:13is one of disappointment
22:13because it has been wasteful with money.
22:17Meanwhile, since we filmed with Steve,
22:19he's been visited by the company
22:21who carried out the work on his home.
22:23They've apologised
22:24and offered to rectify
22:26any outstanding defects.
22:29There'll always be people
22:30willing to take advantage
22:31of our desire to save money.
22:34And with so many people
22:35disappointed by the work
22:37they've had done
22:37under these government-backed schemes,
22:40it remains to be seen
22:41if warm, low-carbon homes
22:43are within our reach.
22:45That's it for tonight's programme.
22:48If you want to continue the conversation,
22:51please join in using the hashtag
22:52ITVtonight on X, Facebook and Instagram.
22:55Until next time, good evening
22:57and thank you for watching.
22:58Still to come tonight,
23:07Celia is in no mood
23:08to be messed about
23:10with an hour-long Emmerdale
23:12after the break.
23:13We'll see you next time.
23:15Our next time,
Be the first to comment