GGFNEWS
£70m Green Deal fund “not enough”
»»The Department of Energy and
Climate Change (DECC) announced the third
release of the Green Deal Home Improvement
Fund (GDHIF) will be worth up to £70m,
but the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF)
maintains that the fund does not have enough
incentives for consumers wanting to install
energy efficient glazing.
From midday, Monday 16 March, the scheme
will open to new applications for the new
release of funding, with up to £5,600 available
to households in England and Wales to help
with the cost of installing certain energy saving
measures such as solid wall insulation, double
glazing, boilers, cavity wall and floor insulation.
Nigel Rees, GGF Gro up Chief Executive
commented, “Of course it is positive to see
funding for homeowners wanting to make
their properties more energy efficient but
we still feel the incentives are not nearly
enough for homeowners wanting to install
glazing.”
DECC’s latest Green Deal statistics
published in February show that out of
15,000 measures installed under Green Deal
Home Improvement Fund only 47 windows
have been installed and Nigel Rees adds,
“The scheme and funding appears to favour
some types of energy efficiency work and
not others such as glazing.”
For further information go to:
www.ggf.org.uk
FULL MEMBERSHIP
»»The Glass and Glazing
Federation welcomed REHAU
Ltd into full Membership with a
presentation of their Membership
Certificate at a meeting in
Birmingham on 26th March.
Gareth Jones, REHAU
Marketing and Technical Director
commented, “We are pleased to
have joined the GGF and are keen
to get involved in many areas of
shared interest. In the industry
the REHAU brand stands for
unbeatable performance and
technical excellence and being
part of the industry’s leading
trade body, can only reinforce our
position.”
REHAU has already
become involved in the GGF
infrastructure with the recent
election of Irene Smith, REHAU
Marketing Communications
Manager to the GGF Marketing
and Communications Committee
(MCC).
James Lee, GGF Head of
Group Marketing presented
REHAU with their Certificate
and commented, “We are
delighted to welcome REHAU
into the GGF Membership.
The Federation comprises of
companies who pride themselves
on delivering the highest
professional and technical
standards in their sectors, and
REHAU are no different.
Gareth Jones added, “We are
delighted with Irene’s recent
election onto the Committee
(MCC) and we are keen to get
more involved with the GGF
wherever possible in particular
in the technical and relevant
specialist Groups.”
UNINSPIRING AND EMPTY
»»Last month, Chancellor
George Osborne announced his final Budget
before this year’s General Election in May,
the GGF has reacted by describing it as
“uninspiring and empty”.
Nigel Rees, GGF Group Chief Executive
commented, “It’s hard to find anything of great
significance to our Members in this Budget
and we’re disappointed that incentives to
homeowners to make their properties more
energy efficient are non-existent. On the
manufacturing front, we hope the updated
Enhanced Capital Allowance for designated
energy-saving technologies will include glass
and glazing products. The only other possible
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positive on energy efficiency is
the proposal to bring forward
the compensation for indirect
costs for small scale feed-in
tariffs by one year. This may assist
our energy intensive flat glass
manufacturers, but is a relatively
tenuous benefit in what is sadly an
empty and uninspiring Budget for
our industry.”
Nigel Rees continued, “One
positive announcement in the Budget was the
Government’s proposal for “housing zones” to
build more affordable housing by regenerating
brownfield sites.”
‘hard to find anything
of great significance’