Industry experts provide their view on the hit and miss of The Green Deal. The Government officially launched its Green Deal Scheme on Monday (28 January). The framework that has been introduced to encourage the uptake of energy efficiency measures by allowing businesses and homeowners to install measures at little or no upfront cost.
The Government should be applauded for its Green Deal scheme and the lasting financial and environment benefits it will bring, according to the boss of a UK energy efficiency firm.
Adrian Pike, CEO and co-founder of Anesco (pictured right), has hit back at critics saying the scheme has been “vastly misunderstood”.
He believes confusion over how the scheme will operate is detracting from the real picture and that many concerns being raised are unfounded.
Adrian said: “It’s simple – Green Deal will allow homeowners to improve the efficiency of their homes without the need for capital up front. Any home can be assessed and reap the benefits.
“Think of it this way, anyone planning to make improvements to their home, such as by installing a new boiler, insulation or glazing, will usually pay for these improvements through a finance agreement. The rates are likely to be far higher than those offered through Green Deal and they won’t have the protection of the golden rule.”
He added: “It is easy to criticise the Government without knowing all the facts.”
NAPIT believes this can help bring homes out of fuel poverty, help reduce the country’s carbon footprint and provide a much needed boost to the energy efficiency industry.
A Green Deal cashback incentive has been available since 14th January, with the energy efficient home improvement installations launched on the 28th January.
NAPIT Certification is a UKAS-accredited organisation which provides Green Deal Certification for Installers and Assessor Organisations. NAPIT Training offer training for Green Deal Advisors.
NAPIT Director of Standards Division, David Cowburn, said:
“We are highly enthusiastic about the launch of Green Deal and what it means for the industry and householders across the country. Householders have access to affordable, energy efficient measures for the first time and this will have a positive impact on the energy efficiency industry. Also, it will help to reduce this country’s carbon footprint.”
As well as leading to lower cost energy bills, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) also fully expect the Green Deal to provide a jobs boost for “green” industries, in particular, the insulation industry. Ed Davey, the Energy and Climate Secretary, said. “All our estimates show that the Green Deal will increase the number of jobs of the next few years… to about 60,000 – that’s nearly over double the amount of people working in the insulation industry now.”
Ever since being written into Government legislation on 1st October, the scheme has been widely debated in the press and in Parliament, as people have been unsure about the impact it will have.
According to a recent poll , about one in five people (19%), aren’t aware of the Green Deal. Despite this, consumers are becoming more concerned with energy efficiency, with 67% interested in making their home more energy efficient with 86% seeing lower bills as the key benefit.
Therefore, with a greater awareness of the scheme, the benefits will become clear to these homeowners who are looking to save money on their energy bills through energy efficiency.
Green Deal Installers and Assessor Organisations use the NAPIT search facility at www.napit.org.uk/consumer/fastSearch.aspx.
Dave Sowden, Chief Executive of the Micropower Council (pictured right), commented:
“We are pleased to welcome the launch of a world first policy initiative from the Coalition Government but also recognise there is still work to be done to ensure interest rates are competitive enough to incentivise consumer uptake. The recently announced figures from TGDFC present questions about just how competitive these loans are. The Micropower Council feel that it is therefore important that more information about the finance package is released as soon as possible, and in particular what the interest rate looks like for a consumer borrowing a smaller amount: could interest be as high as 10% for a £1000 loan?”
Speaking following the launch of the Green Deal, Thomas Farquhar from Easy Green Deal said:
“Today marks a very significant step for the entire industry and will be seen as great news by all the Installers & Advisors that have already been trained and approved in preparation for the launch. The PR campaign the Department of Energy and Climate Change have prepared will now be able to kick into action and get the message out there to millions of consumers, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout our sector. Our advice line is open for any Installer or Advice Organisation wanting some advice on getting into the Green Deal and meeting the requirements. Our Freephone is 0800 612 43 42”.
