The day that estate agents and home owners will be able to order their EPCs from their nearest DIY store or supermarket has come closer, following the acquisition of one of the largest EPC suppliers, National Energy Services, by B&Q.
B&Q’s owners, the Kingfisher Group who are Europe’s biggest DIY retailers, have refused to say how much they paid for National Energy Services, which includes the DEA accreditation body NHER, and also SAVA, the body originally set up by HIP enthusiast and one-time government adviser Christopher LeGrand.
A Kingfisher spokeswoman said “I can confirm that we have bought NES, and this is part of the group’s eco-strategy. I can also say that it will be business as usual at NES.”
She would neither confirm nor deny whether the acquisition is part of B&Q’s Green Deal strategy, but B&Q, along with Tesco and Marks & Spencer, is one of the firms set to sell insulation and home energy improvements as part of the Government’s flagship programme.
The Government chose a B&Q store to launch the Green Deal apprentice scheme, which will spawn a new industry of ‘green’ home inspectors, who will not necessarily be Domestic Energy Assessors, to visit people’s homes and advise on measures such as insulation, solar panels and new boilers.
B&Q plans to have an eco adviser in every store and is already running an eco-trial of homes in south London.
Ian Moore from epcsouth commented “The acquisition of Sava has certainly shown that B&Q are interested in the Energy market.”
