How to get the most out of the Green Deal

 

The Green Deal is coming, like it or not it’s on its way, so what can you do to get the most out of it? You, like most of the UK populace are probably fed up with paying for high energy prices, so here is what you can do to defend your wallet and get the most out of the up-coming Green Deal.

The Green Deal is going to be different from previous schemes that have gone before it. You will not simply be able to apply for Solar Panels because you fancy some on your roof or apply for a new boiler because your current one is a bit old.  You will need to qualify for the Green Deal and that means your home or commercial property will need to pass a test to qualify for the Green Deal.

The current Government got its fingers burned with the Feed In Tariff and solar panels. Thousands of jobs were created and then lost in a quick boom and bust situation.  The Government doesn’t want to make the same mistakes twice, so they will test the buildings eligibility for the loans. The key is the building is taking the loan not you so the building needs to be fit for purpose.  If your building, be it commercial or residential passes the criteria you will be eligible for certain measures in the Green Deal.

Insulate, Insulate and Insulate

Your property needs to be insulated properly before you can apply for the power generating measures. There is no logic in generating low carbon energy to heat a draughty old building where all the heat will simply escape through the gaps in the walls and windows. Each property is going to be assessed to see what measures are needed to help insulate and cut the carbon.

If you have a particularly under insulated property you will be advised that the money be spent on insulating measures first. The Government was widely criticised for letting people apply for solar panel installations without first inspecting the properties that these solar panels were going on, so in the end a lot of the power being produced by said panels is being wasted on poorly insulated properties. Once bitten twice shy seems to be the Governments line ever since.

So in preparation for the Green Deal it seems like good common sense to look at what the assessors will be looking at:

• Lofts, if you have one does it have the recommended 270mm minimum amount of insulation?
• Walls, are your external cavity walls insulated?

These are the two biggest things that assessors will look for as they are easily rectified on most properties. This is also where you should be focusing your efforts if you haven’t already and this is where the Green Deal can be spent as both measures give excellent return On Investment (ROI).

For those of us who have nice snug lofts, and are no doubt feeling smug too boot, you might be eligible for windows and door insulation. And for the super smug amongst us you can look at power generation options.

There are of course going to be caveats and exceptions, the UK housing stock is such a mixed bag that there will be many different scenarios. The thing to take away from this is;

• If you are looking for power generation you will have to insulate first

 

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