Clearview Midlands January 2014 - Issue 146 | Page 31

2014PREDICTIONS

GREEN DEAL LOSES CREDIBILITY
BUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS THE
FOUNDATION OF GROWTH
A new poll suggests that industry has lost faith in the Green Deal but
remains confident of continuing growth throughout 2014, driven by demand
for energy efficient home improvements and product innovation.
Published this month, the second ‘Emplas
State of the Market Report’, found that
overall, installers were upbeat about their
prospects in the coming year, with 98 per
cent of those surveyed predicting growth
compared to just 67 per cent in 2013.
But while respondents were broadly positive
about their future prospects, they were far less
optimistic about the Green Deal.
With an aim of improving the energy
efficiency of more than 14 million homes
by 2020, the scheme was launched by the
Government this time last year but far lower
than expected take-up means that fewer than
1,000 households were predicted to have
signed-up to energy efficiency improvements
in its first 12-months.

‘Research shows that
consumers were not
drawn to the lowest
prices by default’
This has led to growing scepticism among
installers, with 98 per cent of those surveyed
stating that they did not expect to win any
business through the Green Deal in 2014.
This represented a hardening of position
on 2013, when a third of respondents said
that they hoped to win business throug B