The number of homes left with defects because of government-backed insulation schemes has been branded a ‘clear and catastrophic failure’ by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
A National Audit Office (NAO) investigation, published in October, found that around 98% of the external wall insulation installations fitted under the Energy Company Obligation 4 scheme and the Great British Insulation Scheme had major issues that need fixing.
In a follow-up report, released on 23 January, the PAC estimates that the number of dwellings that require fixing had risen to up to 35,000 homes by mid-January 2025, with an ‘unquantified’ number since then. Some have defects that pose ‘immediate’ health and safety risks, such as inadequate ventilation.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the PAC, said: ‘A 98% failure rate in a public sector initiative amounts to the most catastrophic fiasco that I have seen on this committee.
