More pressure was being put on the government this week to change proposals in its beleaguered Green Deal as the consultation period came to an end.
A group of leading companies including major high street retailers Marks & Spencer and Homebase have called on the Coalition to amend its flagship retrofit scheme so social landlords are not excluded from subsidy to tackle fuel poverty reports Inside Housing. The UKGBC wrote a private letter on behalf of the consortium of potential green deal providers to climate change minister. Greg Barker warning that the amendment, alongside a range of other improvements, is essential if its scheme is to succeed.Signatories are also thought to include John Lewis and Homebase alongside social landlords such as 56,000-home Affinity Sutton.The letter was written by the UK Green Building Council on behalf of the group to coincide with Wednesday’s green deal consultation deadline.
Under the £14 billion green deal, households will receive energy-efficiency works at no upfront cost and the government hopes private companies, including those behind the letter, will fund this and recoup costs from households through resulting savings in energy bills.
Inside Housing says that under the current proposals landlords won’t have access to the affordable warmth pot of the £1.3 billion energy company obligation subsidy intended to help the estimated 6.3 million households in fuel poverty.
Meanwhile, senior industry figures told Building magazine that the new initiative risks “killing the insulation industry overnight”.
John Sinfield, managing director for manufacturer Knauf in northern Europe, said the predicted 93% collapse in demand for loft and cavity wall insulation installations when the Green Deal is launched in October would also stop manufacturers investing in the UK.
In another development, energy secretary Chris Huhne has tabled a written ministerial statement outlining proposals for new Feed-in Tariff rates from April 2012 said Construction News.
The government’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling that cuts made to FITs were unlawful is still being heard and it has reserved the right to cut FITs rates on solar panels installed on or after 12 December.
The government will now press ahead with cuts to schemes installed on or after 3 March while the judicial review is ongoing, meaning that even if the government’s appeal in favour of cutting rates from December is unsuccessful , the new FITs rates will apply to solar panels installed after 3 March.
Friends of the Earth’s executive director Andy Atkins told the magazine:“At last the government is taking steps to sort out some of the uncertainty that’s crippling a thriving UK industry – planned cuts will at last allow solar firms to start planning for the future.
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