The Warm Homes Plan lays out the government’s strategy for overhauling the energy efficiency of properties in the UK. And tradespeople will be essential to achieving this.
Skilled retrofitters will be in high-demand for the foreseeable – but there’s also concern the demand could outweigh the supply. Find out the type of work that will be most sought after, plus how the government plans to make it easier for tradespeople to upskill in eco-upgrades.
The Warm Homes Plan for tradespeople: at a glance
- significant government investment – £15 billion in funding is going towards energy efficiency upgrades for homes. And the government is incentivising people to get this work done with zero- to low-interest loans
- increased demand for work – the government is making it easier for people to make eco-upgrades to their homes. This combined with new energy efficiency standards for rental properties and new builds means the demand for green retrofit jobs looks set to increase significantly
- ‘green skills’ shortage a concern – some estimate there’s a shortfall of 180,000 skilled workers needed to achieve these energy efficiency targets. So those who are qualified could be in short supply
- subsidised training in green skills – to combat the current skills shortage, the government is covering a significant amount of the costs to train tradespeople in energy efficiency upgrades
What is the Warm Homes Plan?
The Warm Homes Plan is a £15 billion national initiative launched by the government to upgrade five million homes by 2030. It aims to tackle fuel poverty, lower energy bills, and reduce carbon emissions.
To achieve this, the government is focusing on the ‘electrification’ of home heating – essentially making solar panels and heat pumps the new standard for British housing.
There are three key pillars to the Warm Homes Plan:
- Direct support for low-income families – households that may struggle to afford green upgrades will receive free packages of upgrades, depending on what technologies are most suitable for their homes
- An offer for everyone – zero- and low-interest loan programmes will be available to install solar panels and new rules mean all new homes must have solar panels by default. This plan aims to triple the number of homes with solar panels by 2030
- Protection for renters – the government believes all renters have a right to a home that’s safe, warm, and affordable. That’s why regulations now require landlords to reach a minimum energy efficiency standard (EPC band C) by 2030
What does this mean for tradespeople?
Skilled tradespeople are essential to the government meeting these targets. Electricians, heating engineers, and insulation specialists will be in high-demand as the frequency of eco-upgrades on homes increases.
According to the government, much of the funding is being handed to local authorities. Meaning social housing providers and councils could hire local firms to complete these jobs. So tradespeople could have a more steady stream of retrofitting jobs rather than one-off private ones.
There’ll also be a new layer of scrutiny on green retrofit jobs. A new watchdog, the Warm Homes Agency (WHA), is being established to oversee the plan. The WHA aims to crackdown on unqualified tradespeople carrying out energy upgrades on homes.
Subsidised training available for tradespeople
Additional funding is going towards training people in green retrofitting. Whether it’s people entering the workforce or upskilling from their current trade, there are schemes available that cover a significant amount of the training costs.
So there’s a big opportunity for tradespeople to learn an extremely in-demand position.
And for apprentices who are still learning a trade, there’s plenty of training available to specialise in green retrofitting. Like the low-carbon heating technician (Level 3) course, for example.
Is there a ‘green skills’ shortage?
As mentioned in our trades industry predictions, there’s a potential ‘green skills’ shortage in the industry. It’s estimated that 180,000 additional workers are needed to meet the demands of government initiatives.
The Warm Homes Plan looks set to accelerate this issue. More funding for eco-upgrades combined with new minimum energy efficiency standards for new homes and rental properties creates extra demand.
The government is also making these kinds of upgrades more affordable, so the demand for skilled workers could outweigh the supply.
Having green retrofitting qualifications and skills will continue to be a great way for tradespeople to stand out. And with these skills becoming mandatory for so many high priority jobs, it could get to the point where tradespeople have no choice but to upskill in eco-upgrades.
Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said this about the Warm Homes Plan: “While this intervention from the government is needed, there must be incentives to get the industry moving, to make sure they are competent and skilled up to upgrade the majority of the UK’s homes.”
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