Britain has some of the oldest building stock in Europe. Our draughty homes are poorly insulated, leaking heat and using up energy. As most of us are householders, we pay a high price for inefficient housing – and so does the planet. A quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the energy we use to heat our homes, and a similar amount comes from our businesses, industry and workplaces.
Very recently the Government launched the Green Deal, a programme to bring our buildings up to date. Under the Green Deal, it is proposed that bill payers will be able to get energy efficiency improvements without having to front up the cash. Instead, businesses will provide the capital, getting their money back via the energy bill. At the heart of the offer is a simple rule: estimated savings on bills will always equal or exceed the cost of the work.
It’s intended flexible framework is one that gives businesses and consumers the opportunity to make the energy efficiency improvements that best suit their situation. Millions of homes and businesses could benefit from improvements under the Green Deal. Owner-occupiers and tenants will both be able to reap the rewards of better energy efficiency, and there will be extra help for those most in need; such as the vulnerable, those on low incomes and those with homes that are expensive to treat.
The Green Deal also represents a significant opportunity for tradespeople, energy companies and investors who will have access to a huge and growing market, with implications for jobs and skills across the supply chain – and across the country, with no regional bias.
Chris Huhne, Secretary of State of Energy and Climate Change said the Energy Bill, currently going through Parliament, seeks to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock and sets out the Government’s flagship ‘Green Deal’ policy. This will allow private companies to finance the installation of domestic energy efficiency measures with the cost paid back by consumers from the savings on their energy bills.
Story from TRUSTMARK e-newsletter ISSUE 23 – 2011.
