Over 2.3 million people have been involved in the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation schemes. That is a lot of people and a lot of data. If you’re one of these people (or you’re working with those who are) you may wonder, how is all this data handled? What do they need to know? Why do they need to know that?
To answer those questions, the government recently released the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) / Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS): privacy notice.
It is always beneficial to be informed of how your data is handled in this day and age. Also, retrofit professionals who aren’t part of this scheme could benefit from being aware of how this all works. Armed with this knowledge, energy professionals are in a better position to help their customers with any questions they might have.
This article will give you a brief overview of the government’s privacy notice regarding both the Energy Company Obligation scheme and the Great British Insulation Scheme.
The Information Requested
There is a whole host of information required by the government for each individual project. This information includes:
- the address at which the measure(s) have been installed
- the reason why the property was considered eligible for support under the scheme
- property data, such as whether it’s a new or self-build, whether it’s in a rural or urban area, and property type (such as house, flat, bungalow, etc)
- household characteristics (like the insulation and heating systems) as well as what measures have been installed at a property
The Purpose of this Information
All this information is collected for a reason. Primarily, it is needed to keep track of the schemes. These schemes are huge projects, with a lot of money involved. Hence, it is necessary to track their success. The data is the only way to know if the schemes are having a positive impact. An accurate evaluation is needed to assess the value-for-money of public spending.
Also, it helps identify any fraudulent activity that might be taking place. Those overseeing the whole process can carefully check for anomalies in the data, and highlight anything that looks suspicious. This allows those who need the help to benefit as they should.
Furthermore, the information can be used for developing future projects. In the energy industry, specialists are always looking forward to the future. They are planning more ways to develop our systems and schemes to benefit the country and fight against climate change. Of course, the only way to improve is to learn from past experiences. So, the information being gathered now will help energy experts make informed choices about how to move forward in the future.
Legalities
All of this information gathering must adhere to strict rules. The government is bound by the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). This means that they have to be transparent about all the data being collected, why they need it and who they may share it with. This is laid out in full in the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) / Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS): privacy notice.
Customer Rights
Users of the scheme are not left without their rights. Each householder is entitled to a range of actions regarding their data when they are part of either the Energy Company Obligation Scheme or the Great British Insulation Scheme. They can:
- request information about how their personal data is processed
- request that any inaccuracies in their personal data are fixed
- request that any incomplete personal data is completed
- request that their personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it to be processed
- object to the processing of their personal data
They are also entitled to complain. All complaints go through a designated handler, the Information Commissioner. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) / Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS): privacy notice contains full details on how to register a complaint.
These two schemes are an important part of the retrofit industry in the UK. As the world of retrofit continues to grow, more and more energy professionals join the ranks. Retrofit assessors and coordinators are changing the scene of this country every day with each and every project. If this is something you would like to get involved with, now is a great time to get qualified.
Thanks to the Home Decarbonisation Skills Training Scheme, Energy Trust is offering funded retrofit assessor courses at a fraction of the usual price. So, there has never been a better time to take the next step in your career! Book online, or call us at 0333 012 0002.
