黑洞社区

With all the bluster from government that the Green Deal would be the 鈥渂iggest home improvement programme since the Second World War鈥� and transform the energy efficiency of 14 million homes, it was refreshing to hear Ed Davey speak candidly about the distinctly underwhelming success of the scheme at this year鈥檚 Ecobuild.

I chaired the session in which the energy secretary admitted the policy had been 鈥渄isappointing鈥� and recognised that more incentives were needed to drive the Green Deal forward. Kudos must be given to Davey for acknowledging the failings in front of a packed audience of green building enthusiasts. We need more moments like this in green politics. Of course, we also still need additional and consistent incentives to drive take up of the Green Deal.

Paul King is chief executive of the UK Green 黑洞社区 Council

Davey pledges to fix 鈥榙isappointing鈥� and 鈥榗lunky鈥� Green Deal

Ecobuild latest: Energy secretary pledges to fix Green Deal and launches consultation on changes to ECO

Energy secretary Ed Davey has pledged to improve the 鈥渃lunky, 鈥渃omplex鈥� and 鈥渄isappointing鈥� Green Deal.

Speaking at Ecobuild yesterday, Davey on changes to the Green Deal鈥檚 sister scheme the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) admitted that the take-up of Green Deal finance had been 鈥渄isappointing鈥� and that the finance system was 鈥渃lunky and complex鈥�.

He said introducing changes one year after the launch of the programmes 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 be too surprising given the scale of the ambition鈥� of the schemes.

He said the government would be unveiling further incentives for the scheme in the coming weeks.

It has already announced plans to give people a rebate on their stamp duty if they improved the energy efficiency of a newly purchased home.

Davey said that from early on the government had been 鈥渓ooking for ways to streamline鈥� the Green Deal.

He said: 鈥淪o, for example, the simple on-line Home Energy Tool is now available - to help people check quickly what types of improvements would benefit them and what support they can get.鈥�

He also said the government has 鈥渟tripped out red tape鈥� from the lending process so customers could sign a plan on the same day as they got a quote.

Davey also admitted the government had made a mistake in its drafting of the 2011 Energy Act, which underpins the Green Deal, in not making it clear whether responsibility for paying the Green Deal charge lay with landlords or tenants in the rented property sector.

He said: 鈥淚鈥檝e always regarded the Green Deal - with the Green Deal finance plan - as tailor-made for the private rented sector.

鈥淏ut a mistake was made. And we鈥檝e corrected it. Now, as of last month, Green Deal Providers can access the as yet untapped demand in the private rented sector.鈥�

He said the number of Green Deal plans signed in the scheme鈥檚 first year was 鈥渄isappointing鈥�.

The latest government figures show 1,227 Green Deal plans had been signed to the end of January 2014, of which 746 were completed.

But he added that selling finance plans was not the main purpose of the scheme: 鈥淭he fact that most people currently having a Green Deal assessment are not then going on to choose Green Deal finance plans shouldn鈥檛 actually worry us.

鈥淗ow people pay for energy efficiency improvements is not after all the main issue.鈥�

鈥淭he aim of the Green Deal isn鈥檛 to sell credit plans, but to make our homes warmer, cheaper and greener.鈥�

Paul King, chief executive at the UK Green 黑洞社区 Council, said: 鈥淓d Davey is right to acknowledge that Green Deal hasn鈥檛 got off to the bright start we had hoped for. But if Government is disappointed by take-up, it must take urgent action to address it.

鈥淣udging Stamp Duty would help to create household demand for energy efficiency and rescue the Green Deal.鈥�