Changes to the Green Deal. Will they increase take-up?

Dec. 5, 2013 - PRLog -- On the 2^nd of December the Department of Energy and Climate Change announced a series of measures that were intended to make it easier for households to make energy bill reductions through the Green Deal. The measures are mainly aimed at streamlining the process of assessment, finance arrangement and then installation. One measure is to enable householders to secure Green Deal finance on the same day as they have the assessment. Another, particularly interesting measure, is to allow companies more access to Energy Performance Certificate data. This will allow them to identify homes that will most benefit from Green Deal Measures.

Whether or not these measures will increase take up is arguable. The main criticism of the scheme as it stands now is that the finances do not stack up. The Green Deal is most suitable for low cost measures such as loft insulation and many households would not consider arranging finance for them. To counter this, more work is “planned” throughout early January. This includes looking at the finance terms of the Green Deal itself and also enabling the Green Deal to work alongside other subsidies for energy efficiency works.

Andrew Eagles, Managing Director of Sustainable Homes, commented,“Time will tell whether these measures will lead to higher Green Deal take-up. What’s important is that government makes it attractive and simple for households to install energy efficiency measures in their homes. Lower energy usage means lower bills, lower carbon emissions and greater fuel security.”

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