Proposals for Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Retrofits Welcomed

New proposals for a simpler, more streamlined consumer protection system for home energy retrofits have been broadly welcomed by the solar and battery energy storage industry.

The proposals are part of a consultation on how consumer protection for home upgrades should be reformed to support delivery of the Warm Homes Plan.

It follows failings in the delivery of previous government schemes, Energy Company Obligation 4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme.

Consumer Protection Priorities

In October 2025, the Minister for Energy Consumers set out the priorities for reforming the consumer protection system:

• Work should be right first time. Consumers must be able to trust that work will be done right the first time in all but the rarest circumstances.
• Simplicity. People should not be expected to navigate a variety of organisations when they want to make changes to improve their homes.
• Swift remediation and a straightforward process for redress. In those rare cases where things do go wrong, there must be clear lines of accountability, so that consumers have defined routes to get work fixed and are protected financially.

To achieve this, this consultation proposes reforms including:

• creating a single end-to-end consumer protection service, accountable to government and responsible for system oversight and performance, as well as providing advice, case management and support for consumers
• using strong binding agreements across the system to enforce delivery obligations and improve accountability for service quality, consumer experience and outcomes
• developing a government-owned data system to support earlier identification of systemic risks, target audits and improve performance management
• introducing of a publicly accessible register of installers and retrofit professionals approved to work on government schemes

Rooftop Solar

The consultation covers all types of retrofit, including solar panels, insulation, batteries, and heat pumps.

Chris Hewett, Solar Energy UK CEO

“Solar Energy UK has always been a strong advocate of improving consumer protection and installation quality as the smaller-scale solar and battery market continues to expand. Implementing the principles outlined in the Government consultation would be good for consumers and the industry alike,” said Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK.

“Much of the proposals are building on the direction which MCS has already been taking its new solar and battery installer standards and enforcement. It is important that the valuable technical expertise of MCS, is properly integrated into any new reforms. Solar Energy UK looks forward to engaging with the Government further on its proposals, including ideas which may address recent concerns over product warranties and installer liability,” he added.

The Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Schemes consultation closes on 10 September 2026.

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