Homeowners across Britain are urging the government to widen an investigation into poorly installed external wall insulation after years of reports that some schemes have left homes damp, mouldy and unsafe.
Around 280,000 properties were offered free insulation under government-backed programmes between 2013 and 2025, funded through the green levy on energy bills. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has said 92% of external wall insulation fitted under recent schemes in the last three years has at least one major issue, but has not explained why work carried out before 2022 is not being reviewed in the same way. Ministers say they are introducing reforms to improve accountability and ensure problems are fixed faster.
Campaigners and MPs say that is not enough. Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East, has called for the inquiry to include all installations under these programmes. Homeowners argue families who accepted government-backed measures to make homes warmer and lower emissions have been left to shoulder the consequences of poor design and workmanship.
Fishwick, Preston: an early and extreme example
One of the most widely cited failures occurred in Preston’s Fishwick area in 2013, where external wall insulation was installed on about 350 Victorian homes. Residents soon reported trapped rainwater, collapsing plaster, mould growth and widespread damp. The installer later went bust and guarantees were effectively worthless because the work had been done incorrectly.
Bushra Rashid, who lives in one of those homes, says damp in her bedroom has been so severe she cannot sleep there and fears the damage has affected her health. Her late husband Abdul was reportedly distraught watching their home deteriorate.
A 2019 government-commissioned report later concluded all 350 Fishwick properties had failed because of poor design, assessment, ventilation and workmanship and suggested many were unsuitable for the insulation in the first place. That report was not published or shared with residents. The fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) later carried out repairs on 45 homes at an average cost of about £70,000 each and estimates full remediation in the area could cost as much as £22 million, but it has now run out of funds.
Problems beyond Fishwick
Industry experts say Fishwick is now regarded as a cautionary example, but similar problems have been reported in later schemes. In County Durham, work carried out in 2021 left some residents with spreading damp and mould. An 82-year-old resident, Jean Liddle, was included in a survey that warned of an immediate risk to the fabric of the building and to occupant health; that finding was not initially shared with her and she discovered it only after a freedom of information request. Some repairs were later organised, but disputes remain about the cause and adequacy of the work.
Oversight concerns and delayed harm
The National Audit Office has flagged that the government does not have an accurate picture of failure rates from earlier schemes. In one scheme, ECO3 (2018 to 2022), auditors do not know how many measures were quality-checked. Experts warn that problems with external wall insulation can take many years to show up as damp or structural damage, meaning failures may yet emerge from earlier rounds of installations.
Calls for accountability and redress
Residents and campaigners say the government, energy companies, local councils and contractors all share responsibility and that homeowners should not be left to bear the cost of repairs. They want a comprehensive review of past schemes, clearer lines of accountability, publication of past reports, and funded remediation for affected properties.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero acknowledged residents had been let down by poor installation, said it was bringing in reforms and promised clearer accountability and guarantees to fix problems more quickly in future. Many homeowners and MPs say those steps must be accompanied by a wider investigation and tangible help for those whose homes and health have already been harmed.
