Warm Homes Plan risks undermining UK’s energy transition: ECA

The Warm Homes Plan’s most significant omission is the absence of electrotechnical representation on the new Warm Homes Workforce Taskforce

The Government’s long-awaited Warm Homes Plan, published last week by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, sets out welcome steps to help consumers access more affordable clean energy.

However, ECA (Electrical Contractors’ Association) warns that the Plan overlooks a fundamental requirement for success: the skills, competence and on-the-ground experience of the electrotechnical industry. 

Despite placing significant responsibility on businesses and training providers to deliver the UK’s electrification ambitions, the Government has not provided dedicated support to ensure the workforce remains aligned with rapidly advancing technologies and increasingly integrated digital systems. This gap, ECA argues, presents a real risk to the practical delivery of the Warm Homes Plan. 

Keith Sanderson, head of skills delivery at ECA, expressed concern that the Plan misses a critical opportunity to address the UK’s shrinking electrical workforce: “With a shrinking electrical workforce, it is disappointing the Warm Homes Plan does not provide any support or incentives to training providers or businesses offering apprenticeships.

“As technologies become more complex and digital systems require increasing integration, upskilling will not solve all the needs of the energy transition. Apprenticeships remain the industry’s preferred training route. Short upskilling courses can only deliver if they are developed with genuine input from the industry.” 

In its current form, the Warm Homes Plan’s most significant omission is the absence of electrotechnical representation on the new Warm Homes Workforce Taskforce.

Electrical installers—responsible for the “final mile” of cabling, systems, and technologies—play a pivotal role in ensuring installations are safe, competent, and futureproof. Their exclusion raises concerns across the sector.