Bonfield review terms of reference
Independent review of consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Documents
Details
The Secretaries of State for DECC and DCLG, Amber Rudd and Greg Clark have commissioned Dr Peter Bonfield to chair an Independent Review of Consumer Advice, Protection, Standards and Enforcement for UK home energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.
When choosing to install energy efficiency or renewable energy measures in their homes, consumers rely on a framework of standards to ensure that they are protected and get a good quality outcome.
Whilst the majority of installations are successful, there are a number of cases where consumers are dissatisfied. This review will draw together evidence in relation to weaknesses in the existing framework of standards and propose how it can be made more robust for consumers, while encouraging investment and promoting innovation.
The review will cover the following issues:
- Consumer advice and protection: what supports consumers’ decisions ahead of an installation and what assistance is available when things go wrong?
- Standards framework: what ensures that the right products are fitted to the right properties in the right way during the installation?
- Monitoring and enforcement: what ensures that poor quality work is dealt with effectively, and do the arrangements for audit, compliance-checking and sanctions provide sufficient assurance of this?
The review will not cover:
- New build properties. It will focus on the installation of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in existing properties.
- Building Regulations’ requirements. It will however look at the interaction between regulations and the framework of standards, and assess whether they need to be clarified to help consumers.
The review is expected to report to both Secretaries of State by March 2016.
If you have views or experiences that you would like to submit to the review then please send them to BonfieldReview@decc.gsi.gov.uk
About Peter Bonfield
With over 20 years’ working experience in the construction sector, Peter has specialist knowledge of building science, research and environment. He also has experience as chair of other independent Government reviews. As with this current review, these were unpaid roles and included:
‘Grown in Britain’, Defra, 2013 In 2013 the Defra Secretary of State asked Peter to Chair ‘Grown in Britain’, an initiative aimed at creating an economically sustainable future for UK woodlands and forests.
‘Public Procurement of Food and Catering’, Defra, 2014 In 2014 Defra appointed Peter to Chair a government-wide drive to improve the public procurement of food. His recommendations to Government were published in July 2014.
From 2006 to 2012, Peter was seconded part time to the Olympic Delivery Authority where he co-created the sustainable development strategy and led on the sustainable procurement of construction products.
A Chartered Engineer for over 25 years, Peter joined the Building Research Establishment Limited (see Note1 below) as a research scientist in 1992 and in January 2012 was appointed as its Chief Executive Officer. He is additionally:
- a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng)
- a Fellow, Trustee and Vice President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET),
- a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE),
- a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIOMMM),
- a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB)
- a Fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (FIAgrE)
- Chairman of the Health and Safety Interest Group for the Association for Independent Research and Technology Organisations (AIRTO)
- a Visiting Professor at and Honorary Doctor in Engineering by Bath University
- an Honorary Doctor of Science by Loughborough University
In June 2012 Peter was awarded an OBE for services to research and innovation in the construction industry.
Note 1
Building Research Establishment Limited (“BRE”)
Privatised in 1997, BRE is owned by a registered charity the BRE Trust. The BRE Trust uses the profits generated by its group of companies to fund educational and research programmes that aim to create a safer, more sustainable and life enhancing built environment for the public good.
BRE receives funding for its work from both the public and private sectors, in the UK and internationally.
BRE supports Government on a number of independent research programmes related to energy efficiency, which are commissions paid for and won by impartial competitive tenders.
More information about BRE.