DECC makes moves to implement Green Deal
Energy & Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has announced a £3.5 million training fund in preparation for the launch of the Green Deal this Autumn. In addition, £10 million is to be made available to help improve the efficiency of non-domestic buildings. Announcing the news at the Ecobuild event last month, Mr Barker explained that £1 million of the fund will be used to train Green Deal advisors operating at the front line of the Green Deal.
Greg Barker said, ‘We [DECC] are working closely with the Green Deal Skills Alliance to ensure that support goes to where it is most needed.
The need for a fully prepared and trained industry was a recurring theme throughout his presentation. ‘We want a thriving Green Deal provider market. We want a range of providers to enter the market, each with their own unique selling points. Having the right professionals to provide quality impartial advice to households and businesses is necessary for the success of the Green Deal.’
He stressed that those wising to install measures under the Green Deal must be certified to the new British Standard PAS 2030 [see link below] and that DECC is working closely with the UK Accreditation Service to ensure certification bodies are ready and authorised in time.
An important stage in the process is the development of a training syllabus for Green Deal advisors that was due to be ready by the end of March.
Important changes in the balance between adequate consumer protection and not creating cost-prohibitive barriers to market entry were announced. One is a proposal to remove the requirement for Green Deal providers to have a surety bond prior to authorisation. In addition there will be no need for Green Deal providers to provide an independent conciliation service; instead the DECC is procuring a bespoke Green Deal Ombudsman to deal with any complaints.
The warranties proposal is also being changed, with it no longer being required to hold warranties for the length of the plan, but robust minimum standards will still be required.
Where there are no existing warranty schemes, DECC proposes to include a 5-year product warranty plus 10 years of consequential building damage cover going further than the current industry norm.
Secondary legislation is being finalised following the period of public consultation.
