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Government should focus on incorporating water efficiency measures into the Green Deal, rather than setting up a "Blue Deal", delegates at Waterwise's water efficiency conference heard yesterday.
At present, there are no water efficiency improvements as part of government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme, despite talk of some form of inclusion.
Andy Johnston, director of the Local Government Information Unit, said: “The Green Deal is a much more complicated scheme than anybody would have thought.”
“While I still think it [Green Deal] is a great idea I wouldn’t come up with a parallel scheme that would be equally complicated. Once it is up and running it would make more sense to add things such as water efficiency improvements to it.”
Graham Smith, senior consumer affairs officer at Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, echoed Johnston’s view and suggested that a separate Green and Blue Deal would create a “bigger division” between water and energy.
The comments follow the water minister’s claim earlier this month that government was encouraging water companies to create partnerships with Green Deal providers.
Giving evidence at the Science and Technology Committee’s inquiry into water quality Richard Benyon said: “These are companies [Green Deal providers] that interface with hundred of thousands of households around the country, and we want to make sure we are using that relationship for more than just energy saving, and that water is part of this conversation.”
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