Green light

There have been numerous reports recently on the Green Deal and the importance of turning a good idea into a “green movement”.

The government is to be congratulated for its commitment to developing a more coherent policy approach to improving energy efficiency. However one policy initiative will not be enough to encourage greater use of demand-reduction technologies, to change how consumers use energy and to get more companies to become Green Deal providers who will deliver lower costs to consumers.

However, despite this challenge, the Green Deal is a long way from being a failure and many householders have already shown early signs of support. The previous CERT insulation scheme has seen 3.8 million homes gaining loft insulation and many social housing groups have led refurbishment programmes to improve energy efficiency and “green” their properties.

To get the rest of us to follow their lead via the Green Deal it is crucial to have the right incentives and drivers in place to “nudge” consumers into action, and I would like to see a number of initiatives explored including giving stamp duty and council tax rebates to the homes achieving EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) ratings A to C.

I believe this type of incentive would give greater public impetus to achieve the government’s aims of creating the “biggest home improvement programme since the Second World War” and giving us a green energy future to be proud of.

Paula Bateman, Corporate Affairs Director, Rockwool