1^st April 2016

The Review report is shaping up very nicely with workstream leads inputting to their individual chapters. Everyone is now working on developing more detail on the recommendations particularly around the action plans for implementation.  We will be discussing progress on the report and recommendations at the implementation board next week.

·        On Wednesday 30th March, Elaine and Alison presented a progress update to the ECO Industry Fraud Prevention & Compliance Committee.

Future Events

The committee was set up to discuss fraud and compliance risks relating to instances of fraud within the ECO programme and to agree mitigating actions encompassing prevention, detection and response.

The committee invited the Review team to present an update on Every Home Matters Review.

The committee discussed potential implications of the review recommendations for ECO, particularly around standards, quality assurance and ensuring compliance.

Points of agreement during the discussion:

1. The retrofit Advice and Guidance (better termed ‘Information’) service will be of value to SME installers and contractors as well as householders.
2. The information service should (a) deliver information rather than advice, and (b) be sufficiently independent and well-resourced to become an authoritative source.
3. The emerging EHM recommendations about quality and standards seem appropriate however,  some intermediate guidance and interpretation will be required for this SMEs.
4. The Skills and Training recommendation of building core knowledge of retrofit into all training courses is sound however for SME’s it is helpful to have training ‘embedded’, and delivery local, simple, inexpensive and probably online.
5. The EHM Consumer Protection recommendations were endorsed and it is recognised the ‘single point of redress’ model may be challenging to apply to some of the complex contractual models (between householders and tradespersons).
6. More detail about how sales and pre-contract information might be delivered to householders by SMEs would be helpful.
7. Important for proposed independent Quality Assurance (QA) scheme to be as ‘lean and mean’ as possible, and costs associated with lodgement and inspection kept low.
8. It is important that all on-site ‘solutions’ are (a) compliant and (b) reported to the designers, so that the designs can be updated and re-lodged.
9. Technical monitoring personnel should be briefed to direct assessors, designers and installers to appropriate training where this may be of benefit.
10. It will be important to avoid arrangements or costs that become disincentives to SMEs offering retrofit work.

Peter Bonfield, Kanta Nar, Richard Mellish, Matt Webb, Lynne Ebdon, Diana Menville and;