The Green Deal Push

You maybe aware that in order to apply for the Renewable Heat Premium Payment you’ll need to get a Green Deal assessment. This was introduced with the increased payments a couple of months ago. Previously only an EPC certificate was required.

Whilst this introduced an additional cost and complication to the process of installing renewable energy, we at Complete Renewables are pro the move. A Green Deal assessment is a handy way for home owners to get an honest impression of the improvements they can make to their home. And any encouragement for home owners to adopt renewable energies is a positive in our book. Furthermore, we often find ourselves installing solar panels in rural parts of Essex which are not on mainline gas. These homes are generally paying large amounts to heat their homes and could benefit greatly from an air or ground source heat pump.

Today we received a letter from Greg Barker MP, minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Summarised, the minister is encouraging MCS certified installers of renewable energy to consider becoming involved in the Green Deal. His request is broad; raising the potential to become a Green Deal assessor, installer or Green Deal Finance Provider. It’s fairly obvious these efforts are in response to a general lack of interest, or at least not quite the level of interest the government was hoping for. However this shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a desperate sign that the Green Deal simply isn’t working. Instead, and more likely, the Green Deal just needs a strong helping hand; it good to see the minister active in it’s promotion.

Whilst we’re keen to respond to Greg Barker’s call to action, it will need to be met with customer demand. We are currently experiencing a strong increase in the number of installations of heat pumps and solar panels. However our customers are rarely interested in the Green Deal. Whilst many of them are vaguely aware of the Green Deal, they are not aware of how they may benefit.

Being a small business, attempting to educate our customers on the benefits of the Green Deal is a huge endeavour. What we really need is a greater public promotion. It’s a far more achievable target to respond to a customer’s interest in a service, than to create that interest in the first instance. I’m not suggesting that the government does the promotion and we’ll do the selling, but rather ‘you promote the theme and I’ll promote the specifics’.

Fracking

Fracking and Renewable Energy

As you can imagine as a renewable energy company we are very much opposed to the reintroduction of fracking. Firstly there are the short term risks of a contaminated water supply and localised tremours, secondly and more long-term is the damage done to the renewable/green sector.

Yesterday it was announced by IGas that there maybe up to 170 trillion cubic feet of gas. We’re always pleased to hear about reductions in the cost of heating, after all that is our primary aim when installing a new heating system. However, our concern is the long term implications. Ultimately gas will run out, or at least start to become cost prohibitive. Without a strong well developed alternative heating costs will spiral.

Presently the UK is well positioned to react to a reduction in gas production. Renewable energies are now an advanced technology with an established reputation as a capable heating source. However this reputation is limited. Presently those interested in renewables are largely from the building sector, rural location or with a specific interest in green technology. We need to extend this market to the mainstream.

This is where the Green Deal should step in. However, presently most customers are only aware of the boiler replacement schemes. They are not aware that renewables are also available under this scheme. By not focusing more determinedly on renewable sources we run the risk of resigning them to the fringe of the energy market.

The opportunity now is to move renewables to the mainstream. How many people are aware that an air source heat pump is more efficient that the most efficient gas central heating system? With a focus on the short-term benefits of increase gas production we run the risk of leaving the long-term benefit of renewable till it is too late. So we say leave fracking, it’ll never help the environment or reduce heating costs long-term, and instead commit to a more energy efficient future.

If you’re interested in find out more about fracking, there’s a very clever website at: www.dangersoffracking.com/

Green Deal Logo

Is The Government Getting Serious About The Green Deal?

When a new government policy is announced its launch is often accompanied by concerns that its demise is not in the too distant future. How many times can we point to policy which hasn’t quite caught the public’s imagination (or caught too much of it) and then been promptly binned?
There’s plenty of us in the industry who have high hopes for the Green Deal, but also fear for its future. Involvement in the deal isn’t cheap; it costs large sums of money to get staff up to speed. And we all remember the Home Information Packs – how much money was squandered during its brief life?
So when we heard that the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) was to be substantially increased, we were naturally pleased. Not only because it means our customers will get an even better deal, but because of the involvement of the Green Deal. All new installations will now require a Green Deal assessment prior to payment of the grant. This will result in an additional cost to the customer (probably only around £75 more than the previous EPC requirement) but that’s more than offset by the new payment amount.

By involving the Green Deal in the RHPP, not only does this increase uptake and so boost public awareness, but it also encourages customers to look at other areas to save energy. Too often we face the perception that energy saving features cost more to implement than they save. We don’t enjoy the reliable sun of the Mediterranean; we need to use a lot of energy to keep ourselves comfortable.  The more the Green Deal is popularised, the more often we will see people turn to renewable energy as a way to save for the future.

So let’s hope this the RHPP strengthens the Green Deal and renewable energy in general, it’s certainty a step in the right direction