The Green Deal

The Green Deal will enable householders to invest in energy efficiency improvements to their homes, at no upfront cost, that will pay for themselves through savings on their energy bills.

The money to pay for the improvements will be borrowed from a Green Deal provider who will arrange for the measures to be installed. It is expected that the repayments plus reduced energy bills will always be lower than energy bills were before installation of the measures.

The finance will be tied to the property rather than the householder and repayments will be made via the householder’s energy bill. The effect of this will be that where Green Deal finance has been taken out to pay for energy efficiency measures and the householder subsequently moves before the loan is repaid, the new occupant will take over responsibility for the repayments, while still enjoying the benefit of lower fuel bills.

Legislation will be required to establish the overall framework for the Green Deal, including the ability to link Green Deal finance to a property. This means that the Green Deal is not expected to be up and running until about mid-2012.

Green Deal Advisers

An important aspect of the Green Deal will be the provision of personalised advice to householders. It is likely, but yet to be confirmed, that the role of these advisers will be to:

. produce a fabric assessment, along the lines of an improved EPC, where one does not already exist. Current work to improve the EPC should position it to deliver this element of the Green Deal;
. provide personalised face to face advice to householders on the most appropriate energy efficiency measures for their home using the fabric assessment as the basis for that advice;
. provide advice on behavioural changes that an occupier can make to reduce energy consumption;
. lodge an updated EPC on the Register following installation of the measures.

It is important to stress that the detail of the Green Deal is still being developed so the proposed Green Deal Adviser role has yet to be finalised and is subject to change.

Qualifications

National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Home and Community Energy Advisers were published in June 2009. Those standards were developed at a time when a rather different role was envisaged for HEAs. While many of the skills and competencies prescribed in the NOS are likely to be relevant to the role of the Green Deal Adviser, there will be a range of other skills and knowledge that an adviser working under the auspices of the Green Deal will require.

We are working with Asset Skills, the awarding bodies and others, to update the NOS to ensure that it reflects all of the skills that will be required for the Green Deal. We expect to complete this process early next year, following which appropriate qualifications will be developed and brought forward. It follows that a suitable qualification for people wanting to become Green Deal Adviser does not currently exist.

Domestic Energy Assessors

DEAs are already qualified to produce EPCs. If it is decided that EPCs should form the basis of a Green Deal inspection, then they will be well placed to upgrade their skills and become Green Deal Advisers. We are working to ensure that the revised NOS takes account of the skills of existing DEAs and, where appropriate, that they are exempt from those elements of the standards that cover areas in which they are already qualified.

Green Deal providers

Green Deal providers will be organisations that have decided to become involved in the financing and delivery of the Green Deal. It will be for them to decide whether they recruit adviser directly, engage with them on a contractual basis or make other arrangements.

Accreditation Schemes

All Green Deal Advisers will need to belong to an accreditation scheme. It is envisaged that such schemes will need to be in place by early 2012.

Time Scales

CLG expect qualifications for Green Deal Advisers to be ready by mid 2011, accreditation schemes to have been set up by early 2012 and for the Green Deal itself to be in place by mid 2012.

“The above information is from the Communities and Local Government and is correct at time of print”.