green deal

I often find myself evincing the view that energy policy, particularly as it relates to rural England is a bit of a mess. On the face of it this article suggests almost no-one wants a “green deal” – adding more grist to my analysis on this issue.

Four out of five people have not heard of the UK government’s flagship programme to transform the energy efficiency of 14m homes, just days before it launches, according to a YouGov poll.

The “green deal”, which starts on Monday, is designed to tackle household energy bills – which have risen sharply in recent months – and carbon emissions from homes, which are responsible for nearly one-third of the UK’s emissions. It works by offering loans for works such as the installation of solid wall insulation, new boilers and draught-proofing, with the repayments theoretically being outweighed by energy bill savings. The loan is attached to the property rather than the individual.

But the YouGov poll of 5,071 UK energy customers, commissioned by comparison site uSwitch, found 81% had not heard of the green deal. The survey also raises fears that upfront “assessment fees” of £85-£150 could put people off the scheme, with 51% citing cost as the biggest obstacle to making their home more energy efficient.