Green Deal Update
On July 23, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd announced that there would be no further government funding for the Green Deal Finance Company or any future funding releases for the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund. Following news of the decision, the Green Deal Finance Company announced that it would not accept future Green Deal Plan applications.
This does not prevent Green Deal Providers seeking other routes to finance, as the Green Deal Framework remains in place. DECC are clear that this decision will have no impact on existing Green Deal Finance Plans or existing Green Deal Home Improvement Fund applications and vouchers.
The Government is aiming to develop a new energy efficiency framework to replace the Green Deal in time for the upcoming government spending review, due in November. They have said that they will be working with industry and consumer groups to design and implement this new approach.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) remains unaffected by the announcement and will continue until March 2017 with an intention for future work of this type to be part of a better integrated policy for home energy efficiency.
Installers who currently have Green Deal work planned should speak directly to the Green Deal Provider associated with the installation, and await further information from DECC about future plans. Some Local Authorities still have funding available through the Green Deal Communities scheme and Domestic RHI applications still require a Green Deal Advice Report to be produced. The Government views Advice Reports as having an ongoing value to consumers in providing people with information about how to make their homes more energy efficient, properly informing homeowners about which efficiency measures would help to make their homes warmer and cut their bills.
Installer certification is against the British Standard PAS2030 and is used more widely than Green Deal alone. NAPIT have already been approached by members who wish to remain certificated against PAS2030 but removed from the Green Deal Participant register. We can accept such requests and will administer such a change without any charges.
Finally, all NAPIT Green Deal Installers still have Competent Person Scheme approval for their scope of work, allowing the self-certification of work under the Building Regulations that would otherwise need to go through Building Control. Those affected will therefore continue to be able to self-certify their work, saving both themselves and their customer’s time and money.
Article Published:
24 July 2015
napitenergy efficiency