Was Green Deal Cashback Scheme Rigged?

An investigation has begun into the sudden closure of a cashback scheme for households to install energy-efficient home improvements, amid concern that many of the applications in a last-minute deluge were not genuine. The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund, which opened in June, offered households up to £7,600 each to install measures such as solid wall insulation and double glazing. The fund closed abruptly on July 24, without notice, due to “overwhelming popular demand”. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had announced reductions to the cashback rates two days earlier. Jonathan Reynolds, Labour’s opposition energy minister, questioned whether the deluge of applications was caused by “the speculative activity of those seeking to get their hands on as much public subsidy as possible” in a letter to the public accounts committee. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

Households Clear Out New £7,600 Per Home Green Deal Cashback

Households have claimed £25m from the Government to install insulation and double glazing in the first month of a new cashback scheme. The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) said 4,405 households in England and Wales have received vouchers to carry out home improvements under the second phase of the Green Deal. The first phase, a loan scheme, was criticised for being too complicated. Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, said the initial figures exceeded expectations. “The early evidence suggests we have got it right,” he told The Telegraph.  Households can claim up to £7,600 each to install energy saving measures, with the most generous cashback rates on insulation for solid walls. The work has to be financed upfront and then money can be claimed back. There is a pot of £120m available to households this year on a “first come, first served” basis. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

Troubled Green Deal Re-Launches with £1,500 Sweetener

Homebuyers who install energy-saving measures within the first 12 months of moving into their new home will be able to claim new grants – typically up to £1,500 – after a government revamp of the green deal. Following a raft of complaints about the original scheme – set up to encourage householders to insulate and improve their homes – and a very low take-up, ministers have responded with a series of financial sweeteners.  From 9 June a £500 payment will be offered to anyone who installs energy-efficiency measures within 12 months of moving into their property.  They will also be able to apply for a further £1,000 cashback, which will be available to all, irrespective of when they moved in, if they fit any combination of two improvements from a list of 12. Read more on the Guardian website.

ALMO Introduces Two-Tier Rent Regime

Council tenants in Nottingham are to be rewarded for 'responsible behaviour' with a lower annual rent increase than those who fail to comply. Almost 70% of tenants who responded to the consultation by Nottingham City Homes (NCH) backed the scheme, which will introduce a rent rise of 4.68% (£5.11 a week) for well-behaved tenants and a 7.5% increase for irresponsible ones. Good behaviour will also be rewarded with a £100 credit at Christmas. Read more on the NCH website.

Should Responsible Tenants Be Rewarded With A Christmas Gift?

Tenants of an East Midlands ALMO are being consulted on proposals to bring in a scheme that rewards responsible residents. The move would mean that tenants classed as being ‘responsible’ would receive a £100 credit to their rent account at Christmas from landlord Nottingham City Homes. The ALMO  says more resources are spent on the minority of tenants who do not act responsibly, so the new scheme would reward the majority of its 27,500 tenants and encourage better behaviour from those who cause problems. Read more on 24dash.

Green Deal Goes Live

The Government's Green Deal, which is aimed at making the country's buildings more energy efficient, goes live today (28 January).  The scheme offers homeowners and businesses a way of paying for energy efficient improvements such as insulation and new heating systems.  Households in England and Wales who use the Green Deal to make energy saving improvements will also qualify for hundreds of pounds of cashback from the Green Deal Cashback Scheme.  The more work households decide to have done, the more cash they could receive and packages could be worth over £1,000.  Read more on the DECC website.

Green Deal Cashback Incentive Welcomed

Social landlords have welcomed £125 million of cashback payments designed to encourage take-up of the green deal.  The Department of Energy and Climate Change has announced details of the scheme which offers payments worth up to £1,020 for the first landlords and residents who adopt the green deal when it opens for business in January next year.  Social landlords will only be eligible if they pay for the works themselves, but social tenants can get the cashback if they take out a green deal loan.  Find more details on the DECC website.