Thu, 15 Jan 2026

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 'My home was uninhabitable' - residents reveal 'botched' work after energy firm folds

A woman whose home flooded during works carried out by a now-folded company says she is trying to rebuild her life.

* A woman, Jane Wallbank, whose home was flooded due to botched insulation work by Consumer Energy Solutions (CES), says she has had to "rebuild" her life.
* CES went into administration last Friday and customers have reported incomplete and substandard work.
* The company used the UK government's ECO4 scheme to provide grant funding for insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels for low-income households.
* Administrator KR8 Advisory Limited is referring customers with problems to insurance-backed guarantee providers.
* Jane Wallbank says she was left without heating for three weeks and had to rip up flooring due to water damage.
* She also claims her energy bills have tripled and that she has been forced to deal with damaged belongings and unfinished walls.
* Another CES customer, John Tustin, said he was left with solar panels that do not work and a costly heat pump after workmen abandoned the job in mid-December.
* Llelo Gruffudd, 43, from Pwllheli, had solar panels installed on his roof through CES in 2023 and claims it was a "botched job from start to end".
* The National Audit Office has reported that much of the work carried out under the ECO4 scheme has been botched.
* The government said more than 30,000 homes in Britain had had sub-standard work under ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme since 2022.
* Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts is calling for an investigation into CES as well as a more detailed look at the ECO4 scheme, which will end in March.
* The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the government would now back a new scheme and invest £1.5bn into the Warm Homes Plan.
* Fuel Poverty Action's Jonathan Bean said that needed to be focused on remediation work and independent inspections before money is paid to contractors.
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