The Insulation Assurance Authority (IAA) is a new nationwide organisation launched to bring together all aspects of quality assurance, consumer protection, technical guidance, certification, installer monitoring and support under a single compliance platform for the insulation industry.
The new authority will provide end-to-end support to its members and offer key stakeholders an audit trail; evidencing ‘right first time’ installation at all stages and underpinned by a robust consumer guarantee.
IAA Chief Executive Nigel Donohue said: “The aim is to make the IAA the body that helps ensure a sustainable industry and provides assurance and confidence to homeowners, key stakeholders and funders that insulation work is carried out to a high standard and subject to a level of rigor and surveillance that demonstrates as an industry we are committed to ‘right first time’ installations.
“As an industry, the insulation sector has not always had the best reputation and has often been criticised as a whole for the failures of a few rogue companies. Our commitment to the insulation industry is to ensure measures are installed to an increasingly high standard and quality assured by an effective quality assurance authority.”
The IAA will provide ISA across those measures which require it using its dedicated platform, monitoring and PAS certification across all insulation measures, a TrustMark registration scheme in association with CIGA, a design service compliant with PAS2035, Training and Development, an industry recognised skills card accepted on most housebuilding sites as proof of competency, and support with consumer protection and business advice.
The Government have declared a climate crisis and are committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 — domestic dwellings account for 17-19% of carbon emissions, only by tackling the energy efficiency of building fabric as a part of deep retrofit will we deliver net zero 2050.
The IAA builds on the experience and positive steps CIGA (Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency) has taken over recent years to extend its offer to cover a range of quality assurance functions, develop industry best practice and be a key contributor to the development of new standards. Originally established at the Government’s request in 1995 CIGA has since issued over six million Cavity Wall Insulation guarantees, protecting one in four homes in the UK.
Nigel added: “This initiative will not impact on the protection or service that existing CIGA Guarantee holders receive but will extend the hard-won focus on quality to other sectors and measures. For example, the quality concerns around new-build homes are well known and I believe that this initiative will extend the quality assurance framework developed over years of experience in the retrofit cavity sector to other insulation measures and sectors.
“We believe the IAA will become the key quality assurance lead for the industry operating in both retrofit and new-build sectors, across the residential and commercial building spaces.”
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