What could this mean for me?
The Green Deal is aimed to help you make energy-saving home
improvements, like insulation, to make your home more comfortable.
This scheme lets you pay for some or all of the improvements over
time on your electricity bill. Repayments will be no more than what
a typical household should save in energy costs.
What you need to do
-
Get an assessment of your property to see what improvements you
can make and how much you could save on your energy bills.
-
Choose a Green Deal provider
to carry out the work. You discuss with them what work you want
done and whether the Green Deal is right for you.
-
If you go ahead with the improvements you must sign your Green
Deal Plan - this is a contract between you and the provider stating
what work will be done and how much it will cost. The provider will
then arrange for a Green Deal installer to do the work.
-
Once the work is done, you’ll pay
off the money in instalments through your electricity bill.
Moving into a property with a Green Deal
If you move into a property with a Green Deal, the landlord or
seller must show you a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate -
this will explain what improvements have been made and how much
you’ll need to repay.
The person who pays the electricity bill pays the money back -
so if you’re a tenant in a rented property, you’ll be paying back
the costs, not the landlord. This is because the tenant can expect
to benefit from lower energy costs.
You can change
electricity supplier, but only if the new supplier is participating
in the Green Deal.
Department for Climate Change (DECC) quick guides
The Green Deal - 'A new way to pay
'quick guide
The Green Deal - Consumer
Protection guide
The Green Deal - Moving into a
home that already has a Green deal
Guide
to the Green Deal for registered landlords
Green
Deal for Social Housing
Qualification for the Green Deal Finance
To qualify for the Green Deal Finance there will be a
number of steps that will needed to be undertaken in order to
prove that the measure would be beneficial.
The fundamental Golden Rule of the Green Deal Initiative is that
the expected saving from the improvement measure must be equal
to or greater than the cost of the measure. This is doen through a
Green Deal assessment.
Since the expected savings are based on those in a typical
property, these savings are also dependent on the consumer
working to reduce their own energy consumption after installation
as well. Part of the anticipated Green Deal Initiative is that
it will also be about helping to give advice on how to change
user behaviour to maximise the benefits of the improved
property.
The Green Deal assessment
The Green Deal starts with an impartial assessment of your
property. A Green Deal Assessor will come to your home, talk to you
about your energy use and see if you could benefit from making
energy efficiency improvements to your home. Don’t forget to look
out for the Green Deal Approved quality mark. Only
approved Assessors can use the mark and operate under the Green
Deal.
Green Deal
Assessment - What to expect?
Post
assessment
Green Deal Finance eligibility
Once the assessment has identified improvements then the
consumer may well be eligible for the Green Deal Finance, as long
as the expected financial savings given from the improvement are
equal to or greater than its cost. This is the so called “Golden
Rule” of the Green deal. If the recommended improvement does not
meet this Golden Rule then it will not receive the Green Deal
Finance option.
Under the Green Deal Finance plans the improvement measures will
be paid for by attachments to the utility and energy bills for the
property. This means that the cost of the improvement will be
repaid directly through the savings that would be made on the
energy bills. The arrangement would be covered by the Consumer
Credit Act.
The Energy Companies Obligation (ECO)
ECO is a new programme designed to reduce Britain’s energy
consumption by funding home improvements worth around £1.3 billion
every year. The funding comes from big energy suppliers.
It’s delivered to customers either directly from the supplier or
by organisations working together, who have made special
arrangements, such as Green Deal Providers.
Many householders in older properties
and those on benefits or low incomes may qualify for extra
financial assistance. Call the Energy Saving Advice Service
(England, Scotland and Wales) on 0300 123 1234 or visit www.gov.uk/greendeal to
see if you’re eligible.
Get
help to keep your home warm
Energy Saving Advice Service launched
Consumers can access the Advice Service by dialling 0300 123
1234 or by visiting
the Saving Energy section of the Directgov website
Focussing initially on providing advice to households and
businesses on existing Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration
schemes, the Advice Service will go on to play a crucial role in
providing independent and impartial advice to consumers, including
onward referrals, on the Green Deal when the policy launches in
October 2012.
The Advice Service is being delivered by the Energy Saving Trust
in partnership with Careline Services.
Quick Links
DECC and the
Green Deal
If you have a specific enquiry then you can also email green.deal@decc.gsi.gov.uk