Selling the Green Deal

Can the Government morph into Swiss Tony?

 

The Government has put the Green Deal on the statute books, it will become a reality in October 2012. Now comes ‘selling the green deal’, from past experience this is going to be a long and hard sell for the Government to convince a wary public.

The Green Deal is unlike many previous schemes in recent years, for one thing the vast majority of the money is coming from the private sector the Government is giving some ‘seed’ money to get things going but the vast majority will be sourced from the open market. This raises the question that someone has to do a fine selling job in the summer for everyone to be chomping at the bit to sign up in the autumn.

Past schemes such as the ‘free loft insulation’ incentive that the Government ran would suggest that the Green deal might run into the same apathy that beseeched the loft insulation incentive. Greg barker the energy minister has promised that the Green Deal will be a bit more ‘bling’ than previous schemes:

“We want to take energy efficiency from the image of dirty, dusty loft insulation to cosy living rooms and beautiful houses. From loft to living room and boring to bling. No longer will every  discussion of energy efficiency  require the obligatory a picture of a hearty workman in a face mask cheerfully laying another roll of loft insulation in some cramped dusty loft.”  Greg Barker talking at the BPF Annual residential conference 29^th of Feb 2012.

It might be part  of the British  sociological  make up that we like to experiment and push the boundaries  and the green deal  is no exception. It is a break from the norm, there are differences between the Green Deal and  the loft insulation  initiative,  this initiative will be a  first in  the new era of high energy costs . Households can’t wait for either the global markets to fall or for the Government to build  enough renewable energy power sources, the chances of either scenario becoming reality are slim. So it’s left to the rather beleaguered DECC to launch the scheme. Now that the speeding lothario has left the building the new energy secretary Edward Davey and Greg Barker the minster of state to launch the Green Deal initiative.

How do you incentives a large group of business and home owners? Free Ipad? £20 tesco’s voucher? Or cold hard cash? Well it looks like the Government has opted for the cold hard cash option with cash back deals for those who take up the scheme first. The logic being that the first converted will evangilise about the initiative and spread the word. It will be interesting to see the PR machine gear up over the summer and see if the Government really can sell like Swizz Tony.

How do you think the Green Deal should be pitched to the public? We would like to hear your comments below.

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