National Consumer Federation (NCF)

28/03/2024

Our Trading Standards professionals are part of the fabric of everyday life in the UK. Each day, we:

- Prevent rogue traders targeting consumers, preying on the most vulnerable with false claims and scams.
- Stop the sale of counterfeit goods and dangerous toys and products.
- Ensure the food you eat contains what it says on the label.

If we don't invest in Trading Standards, more consumers will be put at risk from fraud, scams and criminals. Learn more about the CTSI Manifesto and what we want the next government to focus on: https://ow.ly/946R50R29RZ

11/12/2023

This free 1.5 hour online session will help regulatory professionals understand consumer attitudes towards Net-Zero and how this is impacting business behaviour and trends, and the effect this has on consumer protection.

27/11/2023

“Green heating your home - Different consumer choices”

Looking at more affordable ways of getting bills down. (bigger bang for your buck)

Small heat-pumps, not perfect but possibly a very good start. Lets take a deeper look.

There is a potential for consumer choice change as a result of the regulatory changes associated with the ozone protecting move away from fluorene based heat pump / air con gases and to now make use of propane.

Propane is a more efficient heat transfer medium and is enabling combined heat pump / air con units for individual rooms that have the following benefits for consumers:

- they require no external units as they are placed inside each individual room.

- they do not need a home survey, permission from your mortgage lender or planning permission.

- they do not require MCS qualifications from the installer meaning that most people will be able to do this installation themselves.

- they are on the market now and could be about £1000 installed per room ( whereby total home installation costs are expected to be lower than whole home traditional heat pump systems )

- they enable consumers to take a much more affordable staged approach a room at a time as and when they can afford each £1000 that is needed.

- a further benefit is that they provide a dual function as they can provide air conditioning for those concerned with overheating in the summer in more frequent heat waves

There are a few propane ( gas ref R290 ) products on the market at the moment at under £1000 installed and we would reasonably expect as demand increases that the range of choice to grow.
As a supplementary note there are hot water tanks with their own individual heat pumps for hot water to e.g. wash up, have baths and showers. These are below £1500 and below £2000 for the showers. The expectation is that these will come down in price with propane and more competition.

If you would like further technical details and cannot wait for the next post on this subject do not hesitate to get in touch, as we will happily share the more detailed technical information that we are currently breaking down.
source: Competition and Markets Authority

20/11/2023

“To much and misleading advertising on green heating and insulation? Where to start getting your bills down?”

There is currently a lot of information, maybe to much on green heating and insulation solutions for consumers to be able to make an informed decision or even get some idea of what the possibilities are when it comes to keeping their homes warm, bills down and look after our planet.
The Competition & Markets Authority helps people, businesses and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. The CMA has published a video and consumer guide that gives you straight forward and clear information on how to get started on this journey.
The video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg8vDPHU_ow and will give you a general idea. For a deep dive into your consumer rights, the CMA consumer guide can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/buying-green-heating-and-insulation-products-consumer-guide/buying-green-heating-and-insulation-products-a-consumer-guide.
https://www.facebook.com/CMAgovUK

This is the first of a series of posts that will look your energy bills, green heating, insulation and how this relates to NetZero from a non political and consumer rights point of view.
Make sure to follow the NCF for further updates.

Purchasing green heating and insulation products can be complex. The Competition and Markets Authority has published guidance to help you through your purcha...

22/03/2023

Net Zero matters to you, to your home, to your bills and our planet.

The up and coming Consumer Congress organized by the NCF will focus on Net Zero and how it impacts consumers' homes. How it impacts you. Your energy consumption, your bills and the environment. Some people are starting to take the right steps in taking their home energy and carbon down, but nationally we have hardly started with our homes and still have a long way to go.

We need to really pick up the pace with a tighter focus, better communication and taking steps to ensure value for money.
We have to avoid the UK falling even further behind in its ability to meet the challenges of Net Zero.

The NCF calls for a national programme to focus on the grassroots experiences of consumers when upgrading their homes to net zero so that government, regulators and industry understand
challenges we face in getting there and take much more effective action than they have in the past.

Share with us in the comments below your experiences, concerns and questions with us and we will ensure that these will be put forward to our congress panels and speakers.

17/03/2023

"As we consider the details of the budget we look forward to hearing from Lord Callanan the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero at our Congress next week.

Times remain tough and the affordability of making our homes suitable for Net Zero is as challenging.

Making it easier or even possible to Invest in our homes so that our energy consumption and bills come down is very much part of the Congress.

If you have any issues or comments that you would like put forward at Congress about getting homes to Net Zero please let is know.

https://thencf.org.uk/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64963869

Home Heat pumpsGood for consumers? Issues and problems?READ MOREWall insulationInsulating homes firstREAD MOREAffordable housingIs there sufficient funding?READ MOREConsumer protectionProtecting consumers from scams and poor workmanshipREAD MOREBuilding tradesAre there enough qualified people?READ M...

09/03/2023

Net Zero matters to you, to your home, to your bills and our planet.

The up and coming Consumer Congress organized by the NCF will focus on Net Zero and how it impacts consumers' homes. How it impacts you. Your energy consumption, your bills and the environment. Some people are starting to take the right steps in taking their home energy and carbon down, but nationally we have hardly started with our homes and still have a long way to go.

We need to really pick up the pace with a tighter focus, better communication and taking steps to ensure value for money.
We have to avoid the UK falling even further behind in its ability to meet the challenges of Net Zero.

The NCF calls for a national programme to focus on the grassroots experiences of consumers when upgrading their homes to net zero so that government, regulators and industry understand
challenges we face in getting there and take much more effective action than they have in the past.

Share with us in the comments below your experiences, concerns and questions with us and we will ensure that these will be put forward to our congress panels and speakers.

The NCF is a long standing grassroots, non political, not for profit voluntary organisation.

01/03/2023

This year’s Consumer Congress has a lot of ground to cover. We’d like to introduce you to some of the speakers and the topics they will be covering in their talks:

Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
• Net zero policies, goals and challenges

John Alison - Deputy Director, Net Zero Building Strategy
• Key programmes and priorities, opportunities and challenges

Arnold Pindar - Chair, National Consumer Federation (NCF)
• Broad consensus building and cooperation between all interests, especially consumer interests
• Need for better prioritisation and better use of data noting contributions from HHS and VRS
• Opportunities and risks for consumers/local communities
• Engaging and working with grassroots consumers/communities

Pete Eisenegger - Director, National Consumer Federation (NCF)
• Introducing the NCF’s analysis
• How support to consumer bills has helped
• Making better use of the data
• Motivating consumers

Helen Lord - CEO, Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS) &
Derek Owen - Managing Director, Healthy Homes Solutions (HHS)
• The Vulnerability Registration Service
• Why we need to be looking at supporting vulnerable / fuel poverty homes more
• The VRS & Healthy Homes Initiative
• HHS: The role data can play



https://www.gov.uk/government/people/lord-callanan
https://thencf.org.uk/

Home Heat pumpsGood for consumers? Issues and problems?READ MOREWall insulationInsulating homes firstREAD MOREAffordable housingIs there sufficient funding?READ MOREConsumer protectionProtecting consumers from scams and poor workmanshipREAD MOREBuilding tradesAre there enough qualified people?READ M...

24/02/2023

CONSUMER CONGRESS 2023

NET ZERO: UK HOMES
Making it happen

Thursday 23rd March 2023

The UK government has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This means looking for ways to reduce non-renewable energy usage through cost-effective methods, both short-term and long-term. The decarbonisation and retrofitting of UK homes is one
way of achieving this goal, but how do we go about it?

What kind of solutions do we need?

Any decision to decarbonise a home comes from individual choices where local activities and communities can and should play a vital role - consumers trust the views of other consumers. Congress will consider the benefits from local activities to ensure decarbonisation services are effective and trusted throughout the decarbonisation process

What do we need to do?

The National Consumer Federation (NCF), Healthy Homes Solutions (HHS), and Trustmark have joined forces to convey a consumer perspective on priority actions needed for the
decarbonisation of homes.
The aim of this congress is for us to discuss ways we can try to ensure that we can bring about the decarbonisation of UK homes whilst highlighting support for the most
vulnerable people and protecting consumers. Join us at the event and gain insights from our select cast of speakers from different areas within the consumer movement and retrofit/decarbonisation field on their ideas about accomplishing net zero in the UK.

Outline Agenda:
1) Reception, coffee and exhibition
2) Introduction and congress objectives
3) Key programmes and limitations
4) Supporting consumers
5) Vulnerability and fuel poverty
6) Consensus building and national cooperation
7) Open discussion
8) Creating a community programme
9) Building community confidence
10) Summary and close