ECA calls on Amber Rudd MP to revive Green Deal

‘The Green Deal is in desperate need of a shot in the arm, as it is in serious trouble 18 months into its life,’ he said. ‘Before Greg Barker left office, he had pledged to allow Feed-in Tariff (FiT) income to count towards the Green Deal’s golden rule. This move would have benefited the Green Deal, opened up the small scale solar market, and would have made solar technology more attractive and accessible to hundreds of thousands of consumers. I hope Ms Rudd will deliver on her predecessor’s promise, and include FiTs in the golden rule, something we have been calling for a long time now.’

Wright continued, ‘The Green Deal is struggling because of a lack of awareness, a lack of incentives and a lack of understanding, and these are the things Ms Rudd will need to counteract if she wants to revive the programme. The public need to be aware of the initiative and its benefits, they need tangible incentives to take out a Green Deal, such as a Council Tax reduction, and they need to understand the benefits of green technology, and appreciate the financial and energy savings it can deliver.

‘The success of the Green Deal Energy Efficiency Home Improvement Fund is recent proof that offering people incentives to invest in energy efficiency does work, so hopefully Ms Rudd and the team at DECC can devise a longer term programme of incentives to entice people to take up the Green Deal.

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Improving the Green Deal would also help the UK meet its side of the bargain on the EU energy efficiency targets, following the proposals from the EU that member states reduce their energy output by 30 per cent by 2030.’

Wright concluded, ‘The Green Deal needs to evolve if it’s going to survive, and those radical changes need to come from government. Hopefully Ms Rudd will build on the foundations her predecessor left, and work with industry to give us and the public the Green Deal we deserve, rather than the one we have to work with.’

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