What is the Green Deal and what does it mean for my company?
In October 2012 the UK Government will launch the Green Deal. The Green Deal will allow the owners of homes and businesses to improve the energy efficiency of their property at no upfront cost, helping to cut carbon emissions and lower energy bills.
Households and businesses will be able to pay for energy saving measures with Green Deal finance that will be repaid through a charge on the property’s electricity bill. To meet the Green Deal’s Golden Rule, the repayment charge must be no more than the total amount of money saved on the fuel bills.
The Green Deal is an exciting opportunity for the building industry and will create new business opportunities for a wide variety of trades. A total of 45 energy saving measures will be eligible for Green Deal finance.
The Green Deal will also be supported by the Energy Company Obligation, which is worth around £1.3bn a year and will deliver energy efficiency and heating measures across Great Britain to help tackle fuel poverty and climate change. In total, the Green Deal and ECO are expected to drive around £21bn of capital spending on energy efficiency by 2022, creating new work for companies in the building industry.
The Government has also promised £200m to encourage early uptake of the Green Deal and the details of this fund will be announced later in 2012.
How do I become a certified Green Deal Installer?
All energy efficiency improvement measures financed through the Green Deal scheme must be installed by a certified Green Deal Installer. Certified Green Deal Installers will also be included on a web-based list of companies when the Green Deal scheme goes live.
The standards for installing, managing and providing energy efficiency measures in existing buildings are set out in a document known as 'PAS 2030. Improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings. Specification for installation process, process management and service provision.' The Green Deal Installer certification process will ensure businesses meet the required standards in PAS 2030*.
MCS Installer Certification will be sufficient for companies wishing to install microgeneration technologies under the Green Deal.
Green Deal Installers will also be required to comply with the Green Deal Code of Practice. Click here to view the draft version of the Code of Practice published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
*PAS 2030 is available to purchase on the BSI website. The document is currently being updated to include the installation standards for additional measures that the Government has recently announced will be eligible for Green Deal finance.
