Renewable Energy Installer February 2014 | Page 29

Knowledge: Green Deal
High hopes
Paul Joyner, director of Sustainable Building Solutions, part of the Travis Perkins
Group, argues that Green Deal has a huge amount of unrealised potential to be an
industry changing initiative
espite there being no offi cial
Green Deal targets, climate
change minister Greg Barker
stated last March that he wanted
10,000 Green Deal plans signed
within the fi rst year. This fi gure was hugely
ambitious, especially when considering that
this was one of the most complex schemes
ever introduced in this country.
Demand for the Green Deal has
been vast; more than 100,000 Green Deal
assessments are testament to that. If you look
at the number of assessments completed
which have then led to energy effi ciency
improvements, the statistics look very
promising.
D
Teething problems
One of the main reasons for the slow start
that the Green Deal is experiencing was the
relative diffi culty in accessing fi nance. We
were advised that fi nance processes would
be available in an automated and systemised
way, but this just wasn’t the case.
The Green Deal Finance Company has
been slow to deliver a scale solution which
clearly has increased frustration of those
providers who want to engage in the market.
There has also been some unfair criticism
of Green Deal in comparison with the results
achieved by the Energy Company Obligation
(ECO) scheme. As intended, ECO has been
vital in helping to move the Green Deal
forward as it specifi cally targets those with
the greatest need for support as energy prices
It’s clear to see that
Britain’s homeowners are
serious about making their
homes warmer
continue to rise. The future success of the
Green Deal will rely on a blend of Green Deal
fi nance and ECO funding. With this in mind,
there is an argument that more consumers
would have signed up to the Green Deal had
the Green Deal mechanism been in place
along with the ECO. It is also widely thought
that if the two components had been available
and working at the same time, then the recent
issue about the cost of ECO would not have
arisen, as the market would have supported
the investment and given bill payers a better
return on the levy.
The strength of the ECO scheme is
already being seen. Recent statistics show
that more than 310,000 measures have been
installed in 273,000 homes since the start of
the ECO schemes, with the majority being
loft and cavity wall insulation in addition
to boilers delivering real benefi t to those in
greatest need.
Positive thinking
With 273,000 properties made more energy
effi cient this year thanks to the Green Deal
and ECO, it’s clear to see that Britain’s
homeowners are serious about making their
homes warmer, whilst taking control of their
energy bills.
Sustainable Building Solutions, along
with the whole Travis Perkins Group, are huge
supporters of the Green Deal and believe that
reporting negatively on its achievements
to date will only present more hurdles.
The Green Deal has enabled us to put an
accreditation in a regulatory environment,
helping the industry to accurately deliver
energy and cost savings. I am confi dent
that once the fi nance is in place and easily
accessible, the scheme will begin to realise its
true potential.
In the mix: According to Sustainable Building
Solutions’ director, Paul Joyner, demand for
Green Deal will soar once efforts are made to
simplify access to funding, including merging it
with ECO fi nance
Green Deal Plans
after 12 months
• Unoffi cial target
10,000
• Actual number of
plans 462
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