With the Government having now launched the new Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme a guidance document has been issued by Ofgem setting out the rules for ECO.
This specifies that a Solid Wall Insulation Guarantee Agency (SWIGA) Guarantee or equivalent must be provided on all Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) jobs undertaken in the ECO scheme.
With this in mind, Mark Weaver Chair of SWIGA comments on its 25 year Guarantee and why he believes it has set the standard that all ECO guarantees and warranties must attain.
Mark Weaver commented: “It’s fundamentally down to Quality Assurance - we have been able to demonstrate that the SWIGA quality assurance framework ensures that all stages of the work, from survey to design and installation are carried out by competent companies using skilled operatives to a very robust quality standard including the requirements of an independent third party surveillance scheme.”
The SWIGA 25 year Guarantee is now available and includes:
ï‚· Cover for external wall, internal wall and hybrid solid wall insulation
ï‚· Comprehensive 25 year guarantee covering defects in materials, design and workmanship
ï‚· Guarantee aligned to ECO requirements
ï‚· Only available on installations by SWIGA registered installer members using SWIGA member certified systems
ï‚· Installers subject to independent third party surveillance
ï‚· Available for homeowners or landlords in both private and social sector and transferable to subsequent householders
ï‚· Covers suitable properties up to and including four storeys in height
ï‚· Not dependent on the length of the installer/system certificate holder guarantee or installer insolvency
ï‚· Remedial costs and specified building fabric damage covered up to £20,000 per property – not restricted to cost of original installation
ï‚· Robust and strict procedure for applicants to meet prior to being admitted for Membership of SWIGA
ï‚· Strict SWIGA Professional Code of Practice that members must adhere to
ï‚· Quality Assurance procedures that must be followed for every installation and supported with evidence to SWIGA format
ï‚· Supported by major manufacturers, installers and industry bodies
“SWIGA has been designed by the industry for the industry to provide quality assurance and consumer protection through the provision of a new independent 25 year independent Guarantee for external wall, internal wall and hybrid solid wall installations carried out under the SWIGA framework by certified installers," added Mark Weaver.
"SWIGA is designed to give those specifying SWI work confidence that the work will be completed according to robust procedures and controls.”
The ECO will operate alongside the Green Deal and places obligations on energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency measures and carbon savings to domestic energy users with a particular focus on vulnerable consumer groups and hard-to-treat homes.
SWIGA was launched to echo the safeguards offered by the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) which runs the 25 year guarantee scheme available for Cavity Wall Insulation.
