Experts say more focus is needed on skills to ensure quality of work
Experts from across the built environment have welcomed the government’s £15bn Warm Homes Plan but warned that the programme will not succeed without a skilled workforce.
Long-awaited plans to provide households across the country with solar panels and heat pumps were announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Tuesday evening.
The scheme includes targeted interventions for low-income households, upgrades for social housing, new protections for renters and a universal offer of low or zero-interest loans for all households to cover the cost of solar panel installation, batteries and heat pumps.
But some industry voiced concerns that a shortage of skills risked stalling the rollout of the proposed works following the failures of similar government schemes in recent years.
While Federation of Master Builders chief executive Brian Berry said the plan was a “critical step forward”, he said there “must be incentives to get the industry moving, to make sure they are competent and skilled up to upgrade the majority of the UK’s homes.”
“If the plan is to succeed, the government must give industry a genuinely stable pipeline: multi‑year funding, a clear timetable, and certainty over future standards and regulations. Consistency will be essential if small builders are to invest in skills,” Berry added.
Iain Murray, head of operation living and partner at Bidwells, similarly welcomed the programme but warned it would only meet its ambitions “if the rules are clear and consistent and the industry has the supply chain and grid connections to implement at pace.”
He added: “If policy gets watered down or delivery becomes patchy across sites and regions, the opportunity to lock in lower bills from day one will be missed, and retrofit costs will come back later.”
David Barnes, Chartered Institute of Building head of policy and public affairs, said he believed the government would only hit its net zero targets if there is “a significant investment in skills and training”.
“The importance of a trained and competent workforce advising and carrying out energy efficiency installations cannot be understated in light of recent, well-documented failures that have resulted in severe defects and low consumer confidence,” he said.
“Installing and maintaining evolving technologies requires a well-trained workforce, otherwise we risk having systems which do not provide maximum benefit for the consumer.
“To succeed, the government must ensure the plan is delivered in close consultation with the construction industry. Historically, issues with schemes have arisen when industry has not been engaged, while stop-start approaches and sudden funding withdrawals have further stunted progress and confidence.”
Félicie Krikler, director and head of residential at Barr Gazetas, said the Warm Homes Plan places retrofit “firmly at the forefront of the construction agenda” but added that “ambition alone won’t guarantee outcomes”.
“We’ve seen that our construction sector workforce continues to decline 1.6% year on year, so the pipeline of projects that the government has promised will require a huge push from both private and public sectors,” Krikler said.
“We also need to consider different housing typologies and user needs across the country. No matter what framework is in place, we need to implement localised retrofit strategies and a commitment to upskilling if we want to see this delivery.”
David Weatherall, head of policy at BRE, said: “The Warm Homes Plan will offer low income households a range of suitable upgrades, including insulation, which is vital. For other households, advice and wider support should unlock action on the full range of measures that can improve their home: reducing energy demand, and delivering low cost, low carbon energy.
“We look forward to reading the full contents of the plan and how its proposals will be rolled out. In particular, we await detail on how the plan will give further support for sector innovation and addressing energy efficiency alongside other aspects of poor quality housing.
Meanwhile, Ellie Chowns, leader of the Parliamentary Green Party and MP for North Herefordshire, said the plan was “certainly a welcome step” but “far from the retrofit revolution the government has long promised”.
Chowns said the scale of investment is “significantly less” than what the Green Party would spend, adding that the plan “no longer matches the scale of genuine need in this country”.
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