Green Deal is the long awaited governmental initiative to improve the efficiency of UK homes.
What is the Green Deal?
It is a range of energy saving home improvements that are available to householders to make their homes more energy efficient and produce real savings on their energy bills.
The home improvements are carried out following a survey from a Green Deal approved organisation who identifies what work the household need to have carried out to make the home more energy efficient.
The work is carried out by government approved installers and the work is normally paid for through the savings made on the householders electricity bill.
The Green Deal offers UK householders an added cash back incentive when they carry out energy saving home improvements. The more work that is carried out, the more cash back householders receive.
Green deal is open to everybody and the aim is to transform UK homes from being the least efficient in the world.
How Does it Work?
At the moment there are 45 different types of home improvements currently available. These range from solid wall insulation to home heating improvements.
There are 4 steps towards signing up for Green Deal:
The householder firstly has an assessment carried out on their property to find out what improvements can be made.
Secondly a Green Deal provider is chosen to carry out the work and to ensure that Green Deal is a right option.
If the householder goes ahead, they sign a Green Deal contract which explains what work needs to be done and at what cost. The Green Deal provider will then arrange for a Green Deal installer to do the work.
Once the work is done, the householder will pay for the work in instalments through their electricity bill.
Its not just householders who will benefit though
Green Deal will be beneficial to businesses. It is expected to create a new energy efficiency market and new jobs. It is also an opportunity to update Britain’s housing stock. In the insulation sector alone, 60,000 jobs are expected to be supported, this is an increase from 26,000 jobs in 2011. Additionally £3.5 million of funding will be made available to use as training in key Green Deal Skills.
Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at Uswitch.com says“Green Deal has the potential to help consumers afford energy against a backdrop of escalating fuel bills. Our surveys tell us that many people simply do not know how to make their homes more energy efficient. They also need assurance about the quality of any work done, and help with funding.“Green Deal ensures that accredited professionals to do the work, backed by strong consumer protection. It also provides the financing, so will enable hard pressed consumers to go ahead with confidence, providing much needed protection against rising bills.”
To find a list of Green Deal providers please visit www.greendealorb.co.uk/consumersearch
All Green Deal organisations must be authorised – look for the quality 'green deal approved' mark.