What advice can I give to clients?
This is an exciting opportunity not only for PCA members, but for your private landlords and homeowner customers who have the chance to install energy saving measures at an enormous discount. Whilst we support the scheme and encourage homeowners to take part, it is also our responsibility to highlight to homeowners to proceed with caution.
As many PCA members will remember, we have been in this position before. We have to learn from the mistakes of previous schemes and inform both contractors and homeowners alike that there is no value, and potential consequences, in a hastily completed retrofit insulation works without the appropriate inspections and checks to even establish if a home is ‘fit and right‘ for the retrofit insulation measures! “Fabric first” and “no insulation without ventilation” are phrases that emerged from the disasters of previous grant schemes.
Gov encouragement to ‘do it right’!
Applying insulation to damp properties and without regard to future air quality leads to significant and very hard to treat problems down the line. The Government have recognised this and are directing consumers and insulation contractors to fix problems first.
Lets not ‘paper over the cracks‘! Let’s ensure we all do it RIGHT together this time and that we do not leave homeowners with future and long-term damp, rot and mould issues.
As more information is released about the Green Homes Grant’ scheme, we will endeavour to keep PCA members updated on how to advise clients & homeowners. In the meantime if you have a client/homeowner right now that would like to apply for their vouchers, then you can direct them to the Simple Energy Advice website once they have a quote from a listed supplier.