Decc insists on healthy take up for Green Deal

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) has released new research backing its Green Deal proposals following reports that take up had slowed for the project launched last year.

Speculative media reports this week suggested that households signed up for the initiative to encourage householders to take up efficiency measures could number in single figures, which forced the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) to defended the Green Deal insisting inductions to the deal actually measured “in the hundreds.”

The Government has released new figures today (Tuesday) that indicates that the Green deal is “inspiring people across the UK” to install energy saving home improvements.

According to the research from GfK NOP, 47 per cent of households who have received a Green Deal advice report – following a Green Deal assessment – said they either had or were getting energy saving measures installed. A further 31 per cent said they would “definitely or probably” install at least one measure.

The research, conducted from the end of April to the beginning of June, focused on those households assessed before the end of March 2013.

Energy secretary Ed Davey said: “All the signs are that British householders are motivated by energy efficiency. In an era of rising energy prices, the benefits are obvious.

“Last week we saw evidence that energy efficiency adds a premium to property values. Now we have evidence that Green Deal assessments are leading to householders investing in energy saving measures.”

The survey, which took in 900 households, also indicated that Green Deal awareness had doubled over the early months of the scheme and increased from 10 per cent of households being aware in November 2012 (pre-launch) to 22 per cent in May 2013.

A further 68 per cent said their motivation for having an assessment was to save money and 38 per cent said they were motivated to reduce their energy use for environmental reasons.