The Green Deal

Thought 14

September 2014

In 2013 Edge members gave evidence to the Commission of inquiry into Sustainable Construction and the Green Deal run by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment.

The attached paper is a considered summary of that evidence.

Edge Response to The Green Deal

On the 7th May 2014 Dorte Rich Jorgensen gave evidence on behalf of the Edge to the Energy and Climate Change Committee of the House of Commons - see minutes

on 9th September 2014 the Energy and Climate Change Committee published its findings in its report: ‘Energy and Climate Change - Third Report
The Green Deal: watching brief (part 2)‘. The Committee’s findings include the assessment that:

“The Green Deal has failed to live up to expectations: its planning was flawed, its funding inefficiently delivered, and its implementation has been poor. These problems have all been aggravated by poor communication. Rather than facilitating access to energy efficiency measures and creating momentum in the market, the Green Deal has caused frustration and confusion for both consumers and the supply chain. The first eighteen months of the Green Deal have been largely wasted.

“The Green Deal could play a crucial role in meeting the UK’s emission reduction targets, but a combination of financial, communication and behavioural barriers has meant that many potential customers and partners have been disillusioned and alienated. It is imperative that these barriers are understood and addressed if the scheme is to move forward.

“Retrofitting the UK’s existing housing stock is an ambitious and worthwhile aim. It cannot be met without substantial efforts to promote energy efficiency across all regions and consumer types. DECC has so far failed to make a sufficiently convincing case for energy efficiency in principle, particularly at a household level.”

Associated documents:
- Re-energising the green agenda, Report from the Commission of Inquiry into Sustainable Construction and the Green Deal (October 2013)
- Affinity Sutton (2013) Future Fit, final report part two
- Climate Change Act (2008)
- An investigation into the Effect of EPC ratings on house prices, DECC (June 2013)
- Energy and Climate Change Committee, Evidence by National Pensioners Convention, (2013)
- Ingram, V and Jenkins, D.P. (2013) “The UK’s Green Deal: a modelled case study impact review”, Proceedings of European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (2013)
- UK-GBC, (2013) ‘Retrofit Incentives – boosting the take-up of energy efficiency measures in domestic properties’