Clearview North January 2014 - Issue 146 | Page 49

ENERGYEFFICIENCY

STREAMLINING AND IMPROVING
THE GREEN DEAL
The Green Deal, which is designed to work
alongside the Energy Company Obligation to
make Britain’s homes more energy efficient,
will be streamlined and improved to boost
take up of energy efficiency measures.
These proposed changes are part of the
Government’s action to help hardworking
people with their energy bills, announced by the
Department of Energy and Climate Change on
2nd December 2013.

‘Giving consumers
more choice in future’
“The Green Deal is an initiative for the long
term. And these are early days. It will need to
adapt as the energy services market develops,
and as consumer attitudes to energy efficiency
change. We are talking to industry about their
early experiences over the last ten months, and
researching how consumers are finding the
Green Deal.

“There are also opportunities to cut costs
for the supply chain, while still ensuring that
consumers are properly protected and can rely
on work done under the Green Deal Quality
Mark.
“So the market is already seeing simpler
documentation available from the Green Deal
Finance Company (GDFC), for example. And
by speeding up the processes through which
Green Deal Providers are approved, then giving
those companies more support once they are
approved, we will help them to become active
quickly, giving consumers more choice in
future.”
Starting from January and then over the
following months:
The Green Deal will be made easier for
consumers by:
• The introduction of a new on-line tool that
will give consumers straightforward advice on
the steps they can take to improve the energy
efficiency of their homes, and how they can
get help.

• The improvement of the Green Deal Advice
Report that gives householders important
information on what an assessment is telling
them. The Report will be clearer and easier to
understand, and better signpost the range of
Government support available.
• Giving consumers better signposting to the
companies that can provide the services they
want, both through the Energy Saving Advice
Service and the GOV.UK website.
• The Green Deal will be made easier for the
companies operating in the market by:
• Opening up access to Energy Performance
Certificate data, so that companies can more
easily identify properties that will benefit most
from energy efficiency improvements.
• Adding more measures to the list of those
that can be supported under the Green Deal,
and allowing more flexibility over the exact
specification to which companies install.
• Working with industry to find ways to reduce
the cost of insurance requirements attached to
Green Deal measures.

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Government must make bolder
changes to Green Deal
The Government needs to take
bolder measures to boost the
Green Deal.
Including slashing VAT on
renovation and repair work
and funding a high-profile
communications campaign to
market the scheme to the general
public, said the Federation
of Master Builders (FMB) as
the Department of Energy
& Climate Change (DECC)
announced chan ges aimed at

streamlining and simplifying
its underperforming energyefficiency scheme.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive
of the FMB, said: “It is clear
from the announcement that the
Government recognises that the
Green Deal requires significant
changes if it is to successfully engage
home owners and installers alike.
“Those behind the Green Deal
need to look at how to encourage
and support more SME installer

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firms to take up training so
they become qualified to deliver
improvements as certified installers.
Right now it is just not costeffective for many small businesses
to take employees off the job to
attend courses when demand for
Green Deal work has been tepid at
best. A voucher scheme or cashback
offer for firms that avail themselves
of certified training would go a
long way to upskilling the nation’s
SMEs to deliver the Green Deal.”

JAN 2014

49