The government is providing 24 local authorities across England with a share of £88m in an effort to roll out the Green Deal home energy programme on a “street-by-street” basis.
Despite more than 100,000 assessments having been done, less than 1,500 households have signed Green Deal Plans, with fewer than 500 homes having taken the steps to install energy saving measures using the finance available to them.
The Department of Energy & Climate Change is trying to boost the scheme with the new proposals, and believes the £88m funding will help around 32,000 households install energy-efficient home improvements like new heating systems and solid wall insulation so that they have warmer homes and in addition, increased control of their energy bills.
John Alker, director of policy and communications at UK-GBC, said:
“This new support for the Green Deal couldn’t come at a more critical time, following last month’s disappointing statistics on uptake, and will undoubtedly help area-based delivery of the scheme. Local authorities are a trusted voice and crucial to getting the message out about energy efficiency.
“However, government could go further by stepping in to lower interest rates – helping local authorities to make the Green Deal a more attractive proposition for the consumer – or by introducing long-term structural incentives, such as variable rates of Stamp Duty.”
Minister for energy Greg Barker added that properties across the country are leaking hundreds of pounds every year through faulty boilers, draughty windows and insufficient insulation.
“By installing energy saving improvements we can help thousands of hard pressed consumers save energy and lower their bills,” he said. “This is why we’ve quadrupled the Green Deal Communities funding, so that local authorities can help many more people benefit from these improvements.”
The types of projects the money will fund include:
- Suggestions to deliver solid wall insulation to private households with a strong blend of Green Deal finance/ECO subsidy.
- A comprehensive offer to as many households as possible: some households in a street may fund measures by blending Green Deal finance and ECO, some may choose to self-fund measures, while others may be eligible for 100% ECO subsidy.
- Creative approaches e.g. local incentives, working with local community partners, or refunding Green Deal assessments where a household installs measures using Green Deal financing or self-finance show homes to start activity in an area.
- Proposals that deliver long-term public value e.g. plans/templates for how to retrofit local home types.
Reference:
