There is a lot of talk about local councils leading delivery of domestic energy efficiency programmes.  However, the reality is that most councils intend to outsource delivery, marketing and home energy adviser (HEA) recruitment to third party agents. For most councils, it appears their only involvement will be product procurement and “lending” their name to marketing material.  

If this is the case, then the success of energy efficiency programmes will largely depend not on the Councils themselves, but on the performance of their appointed delivery agents and the quality of staff they recruit. In this context, there are only a small number of existing delivery agents. Some of these may not be able to perform satisfactorily if their resources become stretched as programmes roll out. They are not regulated, some are small, non – profit making organisations with limited financial resources and new ones are springing up to take advantage of opportunities that will arise through CESP, HESS and PAYS etc. Some councils have already appointed agents on a “permanent” basis without any performance targets / low uptake penalties or review dates built into their contracts. As energy efficiency programmes roll out, there is therefore a danger that too much power will be in the hands of delivery agents. 

Convincing homeowners to take up energy savings measures in the private sector is a huge challenge. If delivery agent resources become stretched and they recruit low quality staff with poor sales and communication skills, low uptake will follow and complaints will increase resulting in resident’s trust in Councils being undermined and energy efficiency programmes, failing. 

So, what is the solution? Every council must pay careful, ongoing attention to delivery agents’ capabilities. This includes assessing the quality of management, financials, recruitment policy and their ability to perform in the future. Councils should also only grant one year? contracts to delivery agents and build in financial penalties if low uptake of energy saving measures, arises.  

What do you think?