Green Deal

Householders insulating their homes from January will be able to claim hundreds – and potentially thousands – of pounds back in cash from the government. The Liberal Democrat energy secretary, Ed Davey, has launched the Green Deal. The Green Deal is designed to encourage businesses and home owners in the UK to employ green technologies in their properties. Throughthe scheme, applicants will be able to install new green technology into their properties with no upfront costs involved. The cost incurred through the installations will be met through the applicants’ energy bills over a period of time. Businesses will be able to apply for funding to help improve the energy efficiency of their current building. After an assessment has been carried out outlining which technologies will be the most effective a business owner can apply for funding to have the installation made. The scheme will offer finance or loan support for business owners to improve the property that they own through energy efficiency measures. This finance is in effect a ‘free loan’ for the installation of energy saving improvements which will be charged back through the property energy metering. There will be a range of options available through the scheme. Examples of the Types of improvements that may be funded include the following: Green Deal Insulation Cavity Wall Insulation Flat Roof Insulation Insulated Doors Loft Insulation Solid Wall Insulation Windows Green Lighting Micro Power Generation Air Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pumps Micro CHP Solar Photovoltaics Thermal Solar Power Both householders and businesses are able to register to have their properties assessed for the Green Deal. The first loans are expected to become available in January 2013. http://www.greendealinitiative.co.uk