The Installation Assurance Authority (The IAA) has launched its Installer Registration Card Scheme, a new digital solution designed to strengthen consumer protection, build trust, and make it easier to verify the identity, qualifications and competence of installers operating in the retrofit, repair and maintenance sector.
The scheme comes as government considers how to strengthen oversight and transparency across the retrofit sector, with £15 billion of funding for the Warm Homes Plan helping households benefit from a range of energy efficiency measures, including insulation, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps.
The launch comes as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is exploring options including a publicly accessible register of installers and retrofit professionals.
The IAA scheme is also intended to support wider industry efforts to establish stronger quality standards and support the Building Safety Regulator’s work on ensuring scheme operators maintain a public register of all certified individuals and organisations, including sole traders.
The IAA believes that a simpler, clearer system for verifying installers is essential if the UK is to scale up retrofit, build consumer confidence and ensure work is done ‘Right First Time’.
Nigel Donohue, CEO at The IAA Group, said, “The IAA’s Installer Registration Card Scheme, open to the whole of industry across all trades and professions, provides a verified record of an installer’s identity, qualifications and competence, giving consumers greater confidence while giving installers a way to demonstrate their credentials and in turn support training and development.
“As Government looks at how to improve oversight and transparency across the sector, we believe The IAA’s Installer Registration Card is part of the solution.”
This latest initiative announced today by The IAA, further demonstrates its commitment to consumer protection, ensuring energy efficiency measures are installed ‘Right First Time’.
The IAA’s Installer Registration Card Scheme is relevant to:
- Individual installers and retrofit professionals
- Homeowners and residents – providing a simple and secure means to verify installers are who they say they are and importantly qualified to do the relevant work
- Contractors
- System designers and manufacturers
- Government bodies, regulatory bodies and funders
- Social landlords, local authorities and procurement frameworks
- Organisations operating in the retrofit, repair and maintenance sector wishing to evidence their credentials as employing qualified and competent installers.
Nigel Donohue said: “The IAA’s Installer Registration Card Scheme is not only relevant for installers, but for a range of stakeholders involved in the retrofit, repair and maintenance sector. For those procuring energy efficiency work, including social landlords and local authorities, knowing that the installers have the digital card, helps procure with greater confidence.
“We would encourage both SME and Tier one contractors, to adopt and rollout the Installer Registration Card Scheme to their workforce, demonstrating competence, compliance and trust to clients and customers, and for system designers and specifiers to consider how it can better evidence their own training and competency requirements.”
