Going Green with New Scheme

This week marks what could be a significant development in the construction industry and one that could impact on many of our clients as the government launched its new retrofit scheme, the Green Deal.

The scheme, which is aiming to cut energy consumption by making homes and business premises more efficient, was officially launched by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on Monday.

Home and business owners can now apply for a loan to cover a range of improvements including insulation, double and triple glazing, installation of a new boiler, draught-proofing, fitting a new front door and even installation of wind turbines or solar panels. The loan, which remains with the property not the owner, is then paid back through future energy bills while the “golden rule” of the scheme is that the cost of repayment for work carried out must not outweigh the energy cost savings.

In theory, the scheme will not only help the environment (and help towards 2020 carbon targets) but will also benefit home and business owners with reduced energy bills, and stimulate growth within the construction industry. Along with our clients, we’ll be monitoring the scheme’s progress closely and will be hoping it has a positive effect on the construction industry.

Related post: The Green Deal – it’s not black and white