Can you save money with the Green Deal?

The UK government set up the Green Deal as a way to help homeowners to make energy-saving improvements without any upfront costs because often the idea of having to pay a lump sum to have a renewable energy system installed puts people off from going green. Therefore, instead of taking money out of your savings or taking out loans to install home energy improvements such as insulation, you can apply for a long-term Green Deal finance package that is attached to your home. From 28^th January 2013 onwards anyone will be able to get government finance of up to £10,000 to support the payment of installing energy-saving measures at their home.

Before you are able to qualify for the Green Deal you will have to undergo a property inspection by a certified Green Deal assessor who will give your home a Green Deal assessment.

What is a Green Deal assessment?

Your Green Deal assessment is broken up into 2 main sections:

1. EPC – Energy Performance Certificate for your home which covers the fabric of the building.
2. OA –An Occupancy Assessment that helps your Green Deal assessor to make recommendations that are best suited to your energy requirements.

The results from your assessment enable your assessor to give you practical advice on other energy-saving measures that are best suited to your property and your requirements depending on your lifestyle and how you use your property. All these suggestions will be put together for you in a Green Deal plan that is bespoke to you and your property.

What happens after an assessment?

As mentioned above, once the assessment has been carried out you will be given a Green Deal plan that is customized for your specific requirements outlining the best energy measures for you. Energy measures include the following:

• Under flooring heating systems
• External, internal, cavity, and loft insulation
• Night storage heaters
• Microgeneration systems such as solar thermal, heat pumps, biomass boilers, Micro CHP, and wind turbines.

Once you are happy with your Green Deal plan then your finances can be sorted out by a Green Deal provider and your energy efficiency measures can be installed by a certified Green Deal installer. Your provider will work out the level of funding you will be eligible for before installation so you can stop the process at any point. You may also be advised on other funding and incentives that are available to you too depending on the energy system you are having installed. For example, heat pumps also qualify for the Renewable Heating Incentive, which are payments that you will receive throughout your system’s lifespan or over the next 20 years in 3 monthly installments. These payments are calculated from your heat pump efficiency and your energy requirements so you are paid for providing your own renewable heating!

Article was written by Green Deal Upgrade, your local green deal advisor to help homes in the UK install renewable technologies and improve home insulation.