Green Deal ‘shot in the arm’ for homeowners but concerns remain over ECO

Under new incentives, to be introduced from 1st June, domestic energy users can receive:

·         Up to £1,000 for installing two measures from an approved list (e.g. boiler and flue gas saver);
·         Up to £6,000 for installing solid wall insulation;
·         Up to £100 refunded for their Green Deal assessment.

A total of £50m is being made available at the rates set out by the government with a further £70m to be made available for this financial year.

The announcement regarding the incentives coincides with the latest government figures showing an increase in the number of people with Green Deal plans in progress. As of the end of April there were 2,439 plans underway compared to 2,000 at the end of March.

The number of Green Deal assessments also increased from 188,234 at the end of March to more than 210,000 at the end of April.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) also published figures showing that 776,000 measures have been installed under the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) scheme since it was launched of which 36 per cent were for cavity wall insulation, 29 per cent were for boiler upgrades, 21 per cent were for loft insulation and seven per cent for solid wall insulation improvements.

Adam Mitchell, founder of national installer network Futureproof, said, ‘The introduction of the new incentives from 1st June and the latest figures published by the government are small steps in the right direction.

‘However, both the Green Deal and ECO still have a long way to go if they are ever to meet the government’s lofty ambitions.’

Commenting on ECO, Mitchell said, ‘Serious questions still remain around the structure and process of the scheme. Funding has virtually dried up for installers which means that many consumers are being frustrated in not being able to have new boilers and other energy saving measures installed in their homes.’

Mitchell said that Futureproof had developed a quality management system (QMS) which he says could provide the industry with a robust model to overhaul the way ECO is delivered.

The software has been shortlisted for the Data and Software Company of the Year in the prestigious National Green Deal and ECO Awards 2014, with the winner being announced on 29th May.

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