Stop Insulating Britain?

Our call then, and now, is for a whole-building approach

A BBC investigation has once again exposed troubling practices in the UK’s home insulation sector. Government-backed schemes, GBIS and ECO4, are being exploited. Instead of making homes warmer and healthier for vulnerable members of our society, poor installation is leaving tens of thousands with unsafe, unsuitable and sometimes devastating consequences.

We raised this concern in ETHICS 2, where we warned a narrow focus on retrofit measures like insulation risks creating new problems if not applied in context. Our call then, and now, is for a whole-building approach: one that balances energy efficiency with the integrity of the building and the health of its occupants.

The hidden damage

Foam insulation, promoted as energy-saving, can compromise the very structure it’s meant to improve. In some cases, roof timbers are damaged beyond repair, making homes unmortgageable.

The risks are greater for heritage and listed buildings. Inappropriate methods can destroy historic fabric that cannot be replaced, eroding cultural value and structural integrity.

But it’s not just the buildings that suffer. Poorly converted homes often fail at ventilation leading to damp, mould and an increased risk of respiratory illness. In an effort to green our homes, we could be making them uninhabitable.

A whole-building approach

While legislation places stricter requirements on listed buildings, Historic England has published guidance on adapting historic buildings for energy and carbon efficiency. Crucially, it advocates for a whole building approach that considers repair, maintenance and adaptation sensitively and in context, rather than defaulting to insulation as a silver bullet.

Perhaps that’s the lesson for all of Britain’s housing stock. Insulation has a role, but it can’t fix everything. Poorly regulated, it risks destroying the very homes we are trying to protect.