The government has made changes to the Green Deal cash-back scheme, to help more households drive down fuel bills and reduce carbon emissions by carrying out energy efficient improvements.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced increases to the amount of money people can get back when investing in solid wall insulation, ‘room in roof’ insulation and double glazing.
DECC has also raised the cap on cash-back payments so more people will be eligible for the maximum cash-back level, and extended the scheme so applications can now be submitted until June 30, 2014.
Tim Pollard, Plumb and Parts Center’s head of sustainability, said:
DECC’s latest changes to the Green Deal cash-back scheme are encouraging.
Sustainable building is the future, and we always say it’s a case of insulation before installation.
Whatever device we use to heat our buildings, whether it’s a traditional gas boiler, heat pump, oil, LPG or whatever, we don’t want to waste that heat by letting it escape.
So, offering people more cash-back on things like insulation and double glazing is a good idea, and could go a long way to improving the efficiency of our buildings.
For most people, money is going to be a big factor in their decision making. If I say ‘you’ve got £300, are you going to buy a new TV or are you going to insulate your loft?’, it’s easy to work out which one people are going to choose.
But if we can show that every year people can buy a new telly with the money they’re saving on their energy bills, it could be a different story.
As an industry, we need to support people to make their homes and workplaces more energy efficient and save money on their fuel bills, and any initiatives that makes this easier are very welcome.