The Problem With Regulations: SAPs And All
No one want's to live in a world where bandits rule. A police state is the worst swing of the pendulum.
What's the happy medium? Self determination with a dash of benevolent government care and administration?
Holding Us Back?
If you toured the last trade show FutureBuild or tour the next ones coming up in May or June or October. You're going to, after getting over the salesy formalities, have a very similar response.
There's a a sense of frustration because of inertia.
If you ask for new products coming to market.
Manufacturers are having their approvals, accreditations and regulatory checks handled slowly.
From BBA to SAP, the abbreviations run thick and fast but the effect is the same no matter what they are called. Why does regulation sometimes feel like strangulation?
DNO Processing
For installers and energy producers. A common complaint you read of has been the waiting list for approval from District Network Operators. In fact one public spat with one of the countries most well known installers resulted in us asking one network why the delays where occurring?
They responded to us in less than 24hrs;
At Northern Powergrid, we take great pride in consistently delivering a 10/10 service to our customers. Supporting our customers and doing the right thing are integral to our DNA and core principles. In accordance with The Electricity Act, we are required to make a connection when requested to do so by the owner or occupier of the premises or an authorised supplier acting with consent of the owner or occupier of the premises. To protect owners/occupiers, we must be confident that when an application is being progressed, it is being done with the appropriate consent in place. When the applicant is a third party acting on behalf of the owner or occupier of the premises, or an authorised supplier with the owner or occupiers’ consent, we require a Letter of Authority. This legal document enables the third party and Northern Powergrid to correspond regarding the connection. Whilst we’re unable to comment on individual circumstances of customers like XXXXXXXs, I can confirm that we have been in contact with him directly. In addition, we are in the process of communicating the change with our recent and regular customers.
We issued their response in full to first provide evidence that regulations aren't just boring roadblocks put in the way to create difficulties, it's because the response highlighted the issue that keeps smacking people in the face.
We have pressing problems in the United Kingdom when it comes to energy, consumption and innovative solutions. And retrofit is stuck in the middle of this because;
Regulation, Innovation and Legislation Are Running At Different Speeds
This is down to money. Northern Powergrid aren't particularly slow, there are others. But they are very busy.
We can only imagine how the small team of admin staff are dealing with the current uplift in heat pump installations.
How about the team that run the section dealing with registering products under the SAP Product Characteristic Database?
How much input do trade bodies have into these processes because if you have a novel product, the incumbent trade body in that space - you can guess might be a bit reluctant about letting you in the gang.
This is an outsourced function from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. And probably one of the least recognised but most influential throttles on the adoption of new building solutions.
So influential, in fact, that one energy monolith was themselves having problems, one of their own subsidiary companies was just stuck, waiting for approval - another energy saving solution waiting to be registered....
Smaller companies are at even greater risk from regulatory hurdles. With deadlines fast approaching for procurement decisions, with SHF funding announced, with government consultations arriving faster than a MP' expenses claim, one company with hundreds of enquiries for their energy saving thin wall insulation where just stuck in limbo. The CEO from ThermaCoteUK Iain McIvor told us;
"Getting onto the SAP Product Characteristics Database (PCDB) has been an incredibly frustrating process. ThermaCote submitted a registration request weeks ago and received confirmation stating, “Registration Request Successful, but it still needs to be authorised before you can access the site.” However, despite weeks—now months—passing, authorisation remains pending, preventing any progress on the application. We have a proven product, used worldwide since the mid-1980s, yet we are being held back by British construction bureaucracy. It is absurd that such a lengthy delay occurs just to begin the process, let alone the additional time it will take to complete it once we finally gain access."
Iain and the team at ThermaCote have a product which is now on the radar of every council procurement team who came to FutureBuild 2025. They are one of multiple companies that right now, as we speak, are experiencing the effect of throttled access to approval, registration and assessment of their products.
We had so many enquiries about this problem after FutureBuild, we had to arrange a special team to deal with the feedback.
This is part of a major problem, which can be fixed.
There is no doubt we have a legislative head ache in pushing through fast track approval and registration for new products.
But it has to be done. Even if it's not a vote winner.
Is This An Equality Issue?
Yes. It is. If you cast your mind back to only a short space in our history when hugely influential individuals greased their way into fast track procurement contracts. Ring any bells? We witnessed the abdication of responsibility and the gifting of public money on some proper dead end projects.
Harry de Quetteville
The throttling of innovation in this country has multiple causes. But caution is not one of them. Vested interests and wilful obfuscation - is getting in the way.
If you had the influence and the wealth, you will be getting your product out there and into the burgeoning retrofit market.
If you don't have wealth or backing, you're going to be finding it very difficult to get there.
So yes, this is about equality.
Right now, the country, this country has choices which are limited. With two mediocre political parties and incursions into politics from outlier parties, the voices of working class and middle class people are being drowned out by the powerful voices of those with power and money.
We cannot hope to see the levers of power that direct party political decision making. And that's not what this magazine is about.
But in the retrofit industry, there are good people, with the very best intentions who come from different coloured teams in politics.
Fixing our housing is above and beyond politics. It's about you and the planet.
It affects the very vulnerable and now, the middle classes are feeling the pinch. It's only a matter of time before we have decisions made for us that will affect our grand children.
So choose which side of history you want to be on.
And if you have any access to accelerating novel and new products being accessible to the punters who need them. Do us a solid - and do something about it?
We've had the generous sponsorship of JRL Group, the UK's Dantherm MVHR distributors and the single retrofit solution provider who've been doing retrofit for over 25 years. If you have a retrofit build, plan or construction solution needed, they have been trusted by thousands of people. You should go see what they offer.