Chief executive of the National Insulation Association (NIA) Neil Marshall has responded to recent reports that Ed Davey, Secretary of State at the Department of Energy & Climate Change, has suggested that a lack of solid wall insulation (SWI) installers could be holding back the Green Deal.

“There are currently over 500 Green Deal Registered SWI Installers and our industry carried out around 80,000 SWI installations under the previous CESP Scheme in 2012,” said Mr Marshall. “SWI installations under the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) stood at just 3,100 at the end of May 2013, an annualised equivalent of just 7,500 jobs in 2013. This is a huge drop in numbers.

“Many NIA members have also invested heavily in increasing SWI capacity to ramp up for the ‘market transformation’ that DECC envisaged under the Green Deal and ECO and there is currently excess industry capacity.

“Therefore, the lack of SWI uptake under the Green Deal and ECO is related to a lack of demand and not a shortage of supply.

“We would urge DECC to seriously consider and act upon the proposals that the NIA and others have put to them to increase demand and thereby accelerate and significantly increase the levels of insulation activity in Green Deal and ECO.”

The NIA has a large number of SWI installer members that can be found on its postcode locator at www.nia-uk.org.