According to the managing director of Futureproof, Adam Mitchell, installers have not been paid for “thousands” of boilers fitted under the ECO and, in many cases, up to six months ago.

Mr Mitchell said that installers are being punished for the good faith they placed in the Government’s carbon reduction initiative, the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO).

He said the decision by Ministers to extend the deadline for hitting ECO targets had resulted in energy companies stopping passing funding down to Green Deal Providers who, in turn, told installers their funding had run out.

The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has responded to Futureproof’s revelations, saying: “It is unacceptable that some installers are not being paid promptly for their services – but contractual arrangements are a commercial matter between the parties concerned.”

Mr Mitchell said he was “astonished” by the complacency of Ministers in apparently failing to take action to protect installers: “It is astonishing that Ministers are happy to pass the buck to others and say the problem lies in commercial contracts installers have with providers.

“This problem has been going on for six months and the situation shows no sign of changing. Unless Ministers get a grip of the problem, and quickly, there is every chance that the ECO scheme will be best remembered for putting hundreds of installers out of business.

“Boilers and other ECO products fitted by installers – and not paid for - are technically still owned by the installers, which means they are within their rights to demand that they are returned by consumers.”

The Futureproof network, launched in October last year, enables installers to make the most of the Green Deal and ECO. By joining the Futureproof network, installers can take advantage of many benefits, including PAS 2030 certification; Cloud workflow management system, national trade supplier network for materials and lead generation.