A father-of-one has revealed how a Net Zero scheme has “torn his life apart” and cost him £250,000 after poor building work left his family home without a roof.
Duncan Hayes eagerly accepted a free upgrade to his Gloucestershire cottage after being promised it would cut his energy bills the government's environmentally friendly program.
The 45-year-old had “the full works” for the ECO4 grant – insulation on solid walls, cavity walls and in his loft as well as installing solar air source heat pumps – which cost the taxpayer £35,000.
However, two years later, his picturesque property was reduced to a chaotic construction site with rubble, rubbish and scaffolding strewn everywhere.
Duncan was without heat for over two years after solar panels mounted on his “crooked” roof caused it to collapse and slap-dash insulation gave way to damp and mold inside.
The homeowner alleges he was “mis-sold” work that was “unsuitable” for his home by plumbers who conducted “botched” in-person inspections to “make a lot of money.”
He told the Daily Mail: “Their profit margin is over 50 per cent, which you can't get in the private sector, so they're making killer margins under the guise of a free system that's not free at all.”
Duncan added: “I couldn't work, my house was completely destroyed.” I've lost everything.'
Duncan was without heat for over two years after solar panels were installed on his “crooked” roof, causing it to collapse and slap-dash insulation giving way to moisture and mold inside
Duncan's roof had to be replaced after solar panels were installed on his “crooked” roof, despite the installation company conducting an in-person inspection
On the same day that the installers completed their insulation work, moisture seeped through the walls
The company denied responsibility and refused to pay to repair the roof, directing him to instead contact the government officials who run the ECO4 program.
But after “walking past around 20 different organizations” as the rain poured into his already “uninhabitable” home, the financially strapped father was forced to repair the roof himself, with no construction experience.
Duncan lost around £250,000 in total when you add up the cost of the damage, loss of earnings due to incapacity and loss of amenities on the property.
And he's not alone, with a spending watchdog finding this week that two government energy saving schemes – including ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme – were largely botched, leaving tens of thousands of homes in need of repairs.
In 2022, the government ordered energy companies to spend billions of pounds raised through levies on energy bills on insulating homes across the UK, specifically for people on benefits and those in very poorly insulated homes.
According to the National Audit Office (NAO), 98 per cent of homes that have external wall insulation installed under the schemes have problems that will lead to damp and mold if not addressed.
And 29 percent of the houses that received interior insulation also needed repairs, it said.
Energy Consumer Minister Martin McCluskey said the government was taking action and the homes would be repaired “at no cost to the consumer” – but this only covers faulty insulation under the scheme, not solar air source heat pumps or other work carried out that resulted in property damage.
The NAO report focused on work carried out on the two programs between 2022 and early 2025.
It found there were “obvious deficiencies” in the design of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme, which resulted in “poor quality of installations as well as suspicions of fraud”.
The NAO also criticized TrustMark, a consumer protection system set up in 2021 to monitor the quality of insulation programs. It said there had been “weak” oversight and inadequate testing of systems and this had allowed installers to “game” the system.
Last year, industry regulator Ofgem estimated that companies had submitted bogus applications for ECO installations in up to 16,500 homes, potentially claiming between £56m and £165m from energy suppliers.
Duncan said the free green upgrades that promised him lower energy bills had actually had the opposite effect, driving him “and others” who had similar problems into “energy poverty” instead.
The damage, particularly to his daughter's bedroom, has also left her unable to stay in his home, which was a major factor in his decision to move there in the first place.
The installers refused to pay to replace Duncan's roof after the solar panels they installed destroyed it
For Duncan, getting some form of justice for his predicament was another problem
'It's disgusting. It made me angry. “These are years we will never see again, and now she has gone to college,” he said.
Another reason Duncan moved to Gloucestershire was to “recover” and get his life back on track after being diagnosed with ADHD. As an adult, he saw his mental health deteriorate, but his home worries ruined it.
For Duncan, getting some form of justice for his predicament was another problem.
He turned to the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman for help and looked into the small claims courts, but both limit claims to £10,000.
When he took it to the police and told them he had “irrefutable evidence of fraud and mis-selling” in the industry, he was given a number of reasons why they couldn't help.
His excuses are that it's a “civil matter,” it's “too complex,” they don't have the resources to take on his case, and they're waiting for more victims to come forward.
Duncan is once again taking matters into his own hands and has now set up a Facebook group for other victims to report similar experiences on a daily basis and seek advice on pushy plumbers, as well as the Nature Society organization to raise awareness through campaigning.
Many of the people in the group are “at risk,” some even forced to deal with these issues while battling cancer and other serious illnesses.
He said: “I started this about nine weeks ago because there is no advocacy or support for homeowners in the ECO4 landscape.”
“There is literally no organization dedicated to protecting the needs and experiences of homeowners.”
“In fact, it’s the job of every single entity out there to protect plumbers, not homeowners.” So you can imagine what's happening, it's absolutely crazy.
A photo of the solar air heat pumps after installation shows the negligence of the assembly
The plumber left a large hole in the wall of Duncan's home, which led to a mouse infestation
“When you buy a fridge-freezer you are literally getting far more protection than doing something so disruptive to your home.” They are destroying your life, your safe place.'
Construction expert and owner of London-based construction company Tarbook, Sherman Webb, who has 43 years' experience in the industry, explained the flaws in the ECO4 program that have left thousands needing repairs.
He said: “The entire system was sales-oriented and not survey-oriented.” Homeowners have been offered fully funded work under a government-funded program. Most of course said: Yes, why shouldn't they do that? But the people selling these measurements weren't builders or appraisers – they were salespeople.
“When making major changes to a building envelope, important things need to be assessed first: structural stability, moisture issues, ventilation, moisture-resistant layers, details around openings, utility penetrations, thermal bridging and load-bearing capacity. These controls are essential, but the distribution model has bypassed all of this.
“Their goal was to win as many properties as possible because they were paid per job, not for doing a proper job.” The release of the funds technically required system guarantees, but apparently no one properly verified this.
“They did a quick survey and said a house could have external insulation, solar panels or whatever else that would qualify for grants even if a competent assessor had found it unsuitable.”
“A good example is the solar panels on Duncan's visibly uneven or structurally questionable roof; real professionals wouldn't have touched them. These companies went ahead anyway because they secured payment.
“The whole thing was wrapped in the language of Net Zero and supporting vulnerable households, which made it seem trustworthy.” In reality, this provided an opportunity for opportunistic companies to take advantage of both the financing system and homeowners.
“It’s a classic sales model disguised as an environmental good.” There will always be poor work performance when everyone involved benefits from it! There is a lack of independent quality control throughout the industry.”
After the regulator's findings were published, NAO chief Gareth Davies said it was now the responsibility of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to ensure the guilty companies repaired “all affected homes as quickly as possible”.
“It also needs to reform the system so that something like this cannot happen again,” he said.