Dutch Eco Initiative Halves Energy Bills In First UK Homes

A Dutch approach to transforming old homes through a dramatic green makeover has arrived in the UK and cut tenants’ energy bills in half. Nottingham has become the first city council to pioneer the “Energiesprong” (energy leap) initiative, which has radically upgraded the energy efficiency of thousands of homes in the Netherlands. More than 150 social housing homes in Nottingham will receive new wall cladding, windows and solar panels after the local authority won £5m from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund. Some tenants in homes already refurbished in a pilot scheme have seen monthly energy bills drop from about £120 to £60-£70. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/07/dutch-eco-homes-idea-arrives-in-uk-and-cuts-energy-bills-in-half-nottingham-energiesprong

Solar Power Deal Will Lower Social Tenants' Energy Bills

Solar panels are to be installed in 800,000 low-income homes across England and Wales over the next five years, as part of a new government scheme. The Dutch firm, Maas Capital, is investing £160m in the project. The panels, which will be free to tenants, are expected to cut hundreds of pounds from energy bills, according to the UK firm Solarplicity. The first people to benefit from the scheme include residents of a sheltered retirement home in Ealing, west London. Read more on the BBC.

Green Deal Scheme Did Not Deliver Energy Savings

An abandoned government programme to insulate UK homes cost taxpayers nearly £400m and did not deliver energy or carbon savings, a report by official auditors has found. The green deal scheme was launched in January 2013 with the intention of handing out loans to improve domestic energy efficiency. It folded in July 2015 despite claims by David Cameron that his would be “the greenest government ever”. The National Audit Office has examined the scheme for the first time and found that the Department for Energy and Climate Change spent £240m on the scheme. Another £154m has been spent on the green deal home improvement fund which was set up to provide subsidies for efficiency measures, auditors found. Read more on the Guardian website.

Green Deal - £70 Million Available 16th March

The budget for the third release of Green Deal funding is £70 million and will open to new applications from midday, Monday, March 16, to allow households in England and Wales to claim up to £5,600 to help with the cost of installing certain energy saving measures such as solid wall insulation, double glazing, boilers, cavity wall and floor insulation.  Energy Ministers have launched the latest phase of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund but funds are limited and DECC say it can vary the terms of the scheme (including the incentive rates) or suspend or close the scheme, with immediate effect, without notice and at any time. Read more on the Residential Landlords Association website.

Tenants Trust Social Landlords for Advice on Energy Savings

The study by the not-for-profit consultancy Sustainable Homes for the Department of Energy and Climate Change has found associations managing property are in the best position to offer help, ahead of energy charities and family and friends. It also revealed that people struggle to make sense of their bills: 75% of those questioned for the study saying they had difficulty understanding them. More than one-third said they were confused by heating controls. The survey of 300 people was conducted as part of the National Energy Study, which was undertaken with 14 housing associations and 500 households last winter to look at energy use within the home. Download the report from the Sustainable Homes 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.

Just 12 Homes Get Green Deal Energy Savers

The Government’s flagship Green Deal scheme is making “painfully slow” progress, with just 12 homes installing energy saving measures since its launch in January. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said 71,210 households had been assessed for Green Deal measures such as solar panels and insulation at the end of August, up from 58,124 in July. But only 677 households have gone to the next stage and said they would like to proceed with the scheme. Of these, 12 houses have had measures installed, while 293 properties had quotes accepted on work and 372 properties had installations "pending". The figures also showed the number of homes assessed for energy-saving measures fell in August. There were 13,086 properties assessed during the month, a 4pc fall from July. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

Green Deal Benefits Overstated, Study Claims

The system used to calculate energy savings under the Green Deal, which is critical to the flagship energy efficiency programme’s success, is unreliable and inflates the savings a householder can expect to achieve from retrofit work to their home by as much as 77%, a study has found.  Social housing provider Affinity Sutton, which produced the study, monitored the effect of retrofit work carried out by contractor Keepmoat on 102 homes over the course of a year.  The data, analysed by consultants Verco, Baily Garner and Parity Projects, found that the SAP model, which is used to calculate building performance, on average predicted that tenants would save 77% more on their energy bills than they actually did.  Read more on the Building website.