Green Deal Information for Householders
This information sheet has been produced by your Local Authority to provide you
with impartial advice about a new Government scheme called the Green Deal.
The Green Deal has been designed to finance, or part finance, the installation of a
broad range of energy saving measures for your home.
Improving the energy performance of your home will help to reduce the impact of
rising energy prices, increase levels of comfort, make savings on your energy bills
and reduce the carbon emissions from your home.
Golden Rule
Every Green Deal package of improvements should be paid for through the savings
made from the estimated reduction in your energy bills. This is the 'Golden Rule.'
This is how it works;
In this example the old bill was £300.
After the Green Deal, the new bill is reduced to around £200.
Therefore the saving of £100 is then used to pay for the Green Deal.
How can the Green Deal work for me?
For example, a homeowner is worried about rising energy costs and wonders if the
Green Deal could help to improve the energy efficiency of the family home. Let us
take a look at the customer journey involved in developing a Green Deal Plan.
Householder
enquires
about Green
Deal
Telephone
Assessment
Home visit
by
a
Green
Deal
Advisor
Green Deal
Plan
developed
with energy
saving
options
STAGE 1
1
Green Deal
finance
arranged
Energy
saving
measures
installed
Household
makes
monthly
repayments
from energy
savings
STAGE 2
STAGE 3
STAGE 4
Now let us consider each stage of the customer journey in more detail:
STAGE 1 - Energy Assessment and Advice
You may be 'cold called' or receive direct marketing information from a Green Deal
Provider encouraging you to have an assessment carried out on your property to
identify the most affordable energy saving measures that could be installed and
whether you are eligible for Green Deal finance.
If you agree, a Green Deal Assessor will talk to you over the telephone and collect
basic information about your property and advise you whether you are eligible for
any funding from Government ECO support programmes (see below).
If the Assessor considers that you would benefit from Green Deal then they will
arrange a visit to your property by a Green Deal Advisor.
The Advisor will estimate how much energy your building uses compared to a similar
building and produce an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for you. The Advisor
will also carry out an assessment to take account of the way that your household
uses energy day to day. The Advisor will assess which improvements you could
make to save money and describe how you could use the savings you make to
repay the cost of the works.
The Advisor will produce a Green Deal Advice Report for you and talk through the
assessment and recommendations with you so that you are clear about the energy
saving options available to you. The Advisor will tell you if they are receiving any
payment or commission and whether they are working on behalf of a particular
Green Deal Provider.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) will provide additional financial support
alongside the Green Deal for hard to treat homes requiring measures such as solid
wall insulation. The ECO could provide a significant contribution towards the total
cost. The amount of ECO contribution you would actually receive will be linked to
how much energy will be saved by the improvement works. Without the ECO
contribution the repayment period is longer than the ideal term for Green Deal.
ECO support is also available for low income households, identified by their
entitlement to certain means tested benefits and tax credits who are also vulnerable
to the impact of living in a cold home. This funding is only available for privately
owned properties. If you are eligible for this type of ECO funding, then you will pay
nothing for the installation of measures.
2
STAGE 2
Finance
The Advice Report will tell you whether you have any eligible energy saving
measures in your home. If you decide to proceed you will now obtain quotes for the
package of works that you have chosen from Green Deal Providers. Each quote will
be returned in the form of a Green Deal Plan Proposal.
Proposals will include information about how much each measure will cost to install,
how much you will save each year and how much you will repay each month. The
repayment plan will include interest on the sum to be repaid. Interest rates will vary
but are expected to be between 6% and 8% each year depending upon which Green
Deal Provider you choose.
If you accept a Proposal in principle, then you will have a 14 day cooling off period
within which to change your mind. If you do not own your property then you must get
permission from your landlord or bill payer to agree to the Green Deal Plan Proposal.
Once you accept the Proposal, it becomes your Green Deal Plan which is a contract
between you and the Green Deal Provider.
You may wish to use Green Deal funding for measures that don't meet the Golden
Rule criteria if you want to carry out the works for decorative or comfort reasons.
STAGE 3 Installations
The Green Deal Provider will arrange for a Green Deal installer to carry out the
work you have agreed to. The installer will have been vetted to ensure they meet the
standards set out for the Green Deal. You will be given a timetable describing when
the works will start and finish.
Many types of building work projects in the home need to be notified to and
approved by your local authority Building Control unless they are carried out by a
registered Competent Person Scheme. Therefore, you will be responsible for
ensuring that any Building Control or Planning approvals have been sought from
your local council prior to the start of the works.
These are the contact details for your Council:
Building Control
For enquiries about building regulation approval;
Call 0115 901 3740 or email. buildingcontrol@gedling.gov.uk
Development Control
For enquiries about whether planning permission is required;
Call 0115 901 3971 or email. developmentcontrol@gedling.gov.uk
You will be given details of any product warranties and operational manuals by the
installer. Upon satisfactory completion of the works (subject to approval by the
relevant regulatory bodies above) you will sign off the project.
3
STAGE 4
Repayments
The Green Deal Provider will arrange to update your Energy Performance Certificate
to take account of the improvement works carried out in your property. Having done
this, the details in your Green Deal Plan may now be confirmed and your repayment
terms finalised.
The Green Deal Provider will inform your electricity company about your Green Deal
Plan, so the Plan instalments can start to be collected through your electricity bill.
If you currently use a pre payment electricity meter then you will need to speak to
your energy supplier to arrange an appropriate payment method.
The electricity supplier will then write to you confirming the Plan details and notify
you of when they will start collecting the instalments through your electricity bill.
You are entitled to continue paying your electricity bill via the same method and
frequency as before you entered into a Green Deal plan although you will now notice
a 'Green Deal Charge' added to each bill.
Where to get further advice
Green Deal Energy Saving Advice Service
www.direct.gov.uk/savingenergy ; 0300 123 1234
Department for Energy and Climate Change, www.decc.gov.uk
Gedling Borough Council Customer Contact Centre 0115 9013972
4