Strengthening competence in retrofit: our response to the DESNZ consultation

You can have the right funding, regulation and technology. But high-quality retrofit still depends on the people delivering it.

That is why workforce capability was at the centre of our response to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) consultation on Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Schemes. We discussed our recommendations directly with the DESNZ team, and we are grateful to the sector partners who shared their experience with us.

Here are four areas where we believe the proposed approach to competence can be strengthened.

1. Qualification is not the same as competence

The proposed competence frameworks are an important step forward, but frameworks need to translate into capability in practice.

Qualifications and course attendance record what someone has completed, not what they can do. Competence frameworks should set clear expectations for how competence is developed, assessed, maintained and evidenced over time.

2. Competence assurance needs to cover the whole workforce

Current assurance applies to a limited number of roles under PAS 2035. But retrofit delivery involves a much wider workforce, often through subcontracted firms.

Competence requirements should extend across the wider delivery workforce, proportionate to the risk associated with each role. A portable competency passport could provide a way to evidence task-level competence, provided it carries regulatory standing.

3. Use competence data before problems occur

The proposed oversight indicators largely describe work that has already been completed. Competence and training data could provide an earlier signal.

Data should capture assessed outcomes rather than attendance or hours logged, at task level, showing which competencies a project team holds, when they were assessed and by what method. This could help identify and manage risk before installation, rather than after remediation.

4. Good performance should have commercial value

The proposed graduated compliance model sets out consequences for poor delivery. But there should also be recognition for sustained good performance.

Firms with a demonstrated record of good delivery could receive:

• reduced audit frequency and cost;
• a visible quality indicator on the register; and
• priority in signposting to consumers.

This creates an incentive to maintain high standards, not simply avoid falling below them.

Where this leads

Each recommendation comes back to the same point: what matters is whether people can do the job, and whether that can be shown. That is the gap Greenworkx works on, helping organisations see where their teams’ skills stand, build practical capability and evidence the gains.

We would welcome views from anyone working on home upgrade schemes. Get in touch.