Green Deal: energy saving for your home or business

Householders are to be offered long-term loans to help make their homes more energy efficient and cut bills under a new government scheme launched today. Under the scheme, households can use cheap loans to spend on energy-saving improvements, such as insulation and new boilers, with no upfront cost.


The move to insulate the UK's aged housing stock is designed to save carbon emissions, keep people warm, and make energy affordable, the government said.

Anyone joining the scheme would first have their home reviewed by an independent assessor, advising on possible upgrades, costs and energy saving time scales.

Green Deal providers would then calculate quotes for the proposed work - with households free to get multiple quotes - before carrying out the changes.

Under the deal, improvements are installed at no initial cost. Instead, charges are covered with cheap loans via the not-for-profit Green Deal Finance Company, and recouped gradually over up to 25 years through customers' electricity bills.


How the Green Deal works

You can make energy-saving improvements to your home or business without having to pay all the costs up front through the Green Deal.

Energy-saving improvements include:

• insulation - eg loft or cavity wall insulation
• heating
• draught-proofing
• double glazing
• renewable energy technologies - eg solar panels or wind turbines

What you need to do:

Get an assessment of your property to see what improvements you can make and how much you could save on your energy bills.

Choose a Green Deal provider to carry out the work. You discuss with them what work you want done and whether the Green Deal is right for you.

If you go ahead with the improvements you must sign your Green Deal Plan - this is a contract between you and the provider stating what work will be done and how much it will cost. The provider will then arrange for a Green Deal installer to do the work.

Once the work is done, you’ll pay off the money in instalments through your electricity bill.


Urban Energy

We are an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economical and environmentally sound green energy solutions for homes and businesses in the South West.

We only install products that lead the way within the renewable energy industry and that are renowned for their high quality and ecologically sound production. This reflects our own high standards and quality assurance.

We understand that introducing a renewable energy system i.e solar panels, to either your home or business is an investment that lasts for many years. With our in-house installation team and electrical division, it is our promise to you the customer, that your satisfaction and peace of mind throughout this period is our number one priority.

The Granary, Phillips Lane, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury SP1 3YR
Tel: 0800 2321624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk

Ed Miliband unveils 'green loan' energy plan for homes!

Pay As You Save green finance, with repayments linked to the property, will require primary legislation and we'd expect them to be in available by 2012.

Plans to encourage householders to make their homes much warmer and cheaper to run have been announced by ministers.

Consumers will be offered long-term loans to install insulation, solar panels or other green technology, which they can repay through energy bills.

The government wants to save 29% of carbon emissions from UK homes by 2020.

Ed Miliband, energy and climate secretary, said: “The Warm Homes, Green Homes Strategy will remove the deterrent of upfront costs and reduce the hassle of the move to greener living.”

The government says its plans will allow seven million British households to benefit from upgrades and create up to 65,000 jobs in the green homes industry.

Mr Miliband told the BBC: "If you're potentially buying the house, what will you find? "You'll find that the energy bills are significantly lower so, say, you'll be having a few hundred pounds off your energy bills and offsetting that you'll have a couple of hundred pounds in payments. "So you'll think, well I'm better off, actually, because this house has significantly lower energy bills, although it's got this repayment built into it."

The whole house energy makeovers, which the Government wants to roll out to improve the energy efficiency of the UK's 22 million existing homes, will provide a range of technologies including insulation and small-scale renewables such as solar panels or ground source heat pumps to provide energy.

Mr Miliband said: "Helping people save energy at home can make it easier and cheaper to keep homes warm and appliances running. It is also the best way to cut our carbon emissions.

"This new approach will allow people to pay for home improvements after they have had them installed rather than before," he said. "More people will be able to get the work they want done. That means less energy used, which is good for the environment, and lower bills, which is good for families, particularly when we have cold weather like we did this winter."

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has already been in discussions with a number of sectors including retail and banking over how the loans can be delivered, while the Government will introduce legislation to allow for the loans to be attached to homes.

URBAN ENERGY

Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.

Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.

For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/