New payments for installing household energy-saving measures could be a shot in the arm for construction sectors such as insulation.
According to an exclusive report from The Guardian newspaper, the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund will offer £1,000 for people installing boilers and insulation, and £500 for anyone who fits measures within 12 months of moving into a property.
The Green Deal, which launched in January 2013, was hailed by ministers as ‘transformational’ and the “biggest home improvement programme since the Second World War”. But the scheme was dogged by administrative problems and even Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, conceded earlier this year that the financing that had been at the heart of the initiative was ‘disappointing.’
From June, a £500 payment from the Fund will be offered for anyone who installs energy efficiency measures within 12 months of moving into a property. They will also get £1,000 for fitting any combination of two measures from a list of 12 improvements, which include installing double glazing, cavity wall insulation, a new boiler, replacement doors and flat roof insulation.
Householders with older homes that have solid walls who undertake the much more expensive process of having solid wall insulation will be able to claim 75% of the cost, up to a maximum of £6,000, from the government.
John Alker, Director of Policy and Communications at the UK Green Building Council, has welcomed the package of measures which he claims: “represents a genuine attempt to rescue the Green Deal and shows that government remains committed to home energy efficiency. The increased cash-back for solid wall insulation is particularly encouraging following the cuts to ECO.”
However he warns: “this isn’t ‘problem solved’ for the Green Deal. The scheme’s initial cash-back went unspent so it’s important that history doesn’t repeat itself.”
Household energy bills have risen regularly in recent years, leaving the average bill at £1,264 a year for electricity and gas. Let’s hope these new measures give consumers the energy-reducing tools to fight back.
