In response to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) consultation on Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Schemes, Energy Systems Catapult made the following points:

• We support the ambition towards clearer accountability, a simpler route for consumers, and stronger use of data.
• The reforms should create a nationally coherent but locally connected system that prevents harm, measures real outcomes and guarantees prompt physical remediation, and supports SME and innovator participation.
• The system should set clear and measurable outcomes while allowing different providers and delivery models to demonstrate how they meet them, rather than being over-prescriptive. This will enable innovation without weakening the protections available to consumers.
• We disagree that the case for change captures all the root causes of current problems. It misses issues such as short-term programme design, incentives that reward volume over outcomes, and weak continuity of support after installation.
• The proposed mandatory scope is too narrow. Consumers face similar risks whether an upgrade is grant-funded, financed, delivered through a landlord or bought privately.
• The proposed consumer journey remains too linear and leaves no clear role for One Stop Shops, which can provide a trusted local face for households.