UKAS has announced those certification bodies who have applied to be accepted under the Green Deal accreditation programme.

APHC Certification Ltd
Ascertiva Group Ltd, trading as NICEIC
Benchmark Certification Ltd
Blueflame Certification Ltd
BM TRADA Certification
BRE Global Ltd
British Board of Agrement
British Standards Institution trading as BSI
BESCA
Bureau Veritas Certification UK
Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency
Centre for Assessment Ltd
Certass Limited
CIBSE Certification Limited
Construction Licensing Executive
ECA Certification Ltd
ECMK Limited
Elmhurst Energy Systems
Energy Saving Trust
Enertia Media Ltd, trading as Enertia Certification
FENSA Ltd
G4S Assessment Services (UK) Ltd
Heating & Ventilation Certification Associates Ltd
HETAS
Institute of Domestic Heating & Environmental Engineers Limited
NAPIT Certification Ltd
National Federation of Roofing Contractors Limited
Network VEKA Ltd
Ocean Certification Limited
OFTEC
QUIDOS
Stroma Certification Ltd
West Midlands Kick Start Programme
UK Certification Ltd

If you are interested in becoming registered as Green Deal approved then please call Services4Contractors on 0844 910 3094 to discuss your needs.

URL: http://aboutgreendeal.com/resources/green_deal_myths_infographic.jpg

Myth #5 – “People will be forced to take out a Green Deal”

This is also not true. The Green Deal is simply one option for funding energy efficiency measures which people may wish to consider, but no one will be forced to take out a Green Deal Plan. In addition to that, Green Deal is not a personal debt as the finance will be attached to the electricity bill of the property.

You may also be interested in:

Services4Contractors - Websites, Marketing and Certification for contractors and installers looking to get involved in the Green Deal Scheme! Call today on 0844 910 3094 for more information.

Expertina - Expertina provide Green Deal Technical Advice, Technical Seminars and Green Deal Training Assessment & Development. To find out more call 0844 910 3092.

Source: http://blog.decc.gov.uk

Myth #4 – “People will have to pay for improvement work if they want to build a conservatory”

This is simply not true. Standard sized conservatories are not included in the plans that the Communities Department has been consulting on.

You may also be interested in:

Services4Contractors - Websites, Marketing and Certification for contractors and installers looking to get involved in the Green Deal Scheme! Call today on 0844 910 3094 for more information.

Expertina - Expertina provide Green Deal Technical Advice, Technical Seminars and Green Deal Training Assessment & Development. To find out more call 0844 910 3092.

Source: http://blog.decc.gov.uk

Plans to make anyone carrying out a loft or garage conversion pay more for environmental upgrades “will not happen”, Downing Street sources say.

Proposals to require homeowners spend 10% of the value of any such work on energy efficiency improvements were unveiled in January.

It would extend rules for large developments to domestic improvements.

But senior Conservatives, including the prime minister, are reportedly opposed to the proposal.

Some critics have called the plans a ‘conservatory tax’, although the government says most conservatories will not be affected.

The Department for Communities and Local Government have been consulting on the changes to building regulations since January, when Lib Dem minister Andrew Stunnell said the coalition was “committed to being the greenest government ever”.

According to the government there are around 200,000 domestic extensions and loft and garage conversions every year.

Under the plans homeowners would be compelled to spend 10% of the cost of their extension, or loft or garage conversion on draught proofing or insulation.

A quarter of annual carbon emissions come from homes, according to the government

According to the Daily Mail, a source close to David Cameron said the plans were “bonkers” and “should never have been in the consultation”.

Downing Street sources told the BBC: “This will not happen.”

Tim Yeo, Conservative chairman of the Commons energy and climate change committee, told the BBC last week: “Compelling people who’ve applied for planning consent to make some alteration in their home to go down this route isn’t necessarily going to help.”

A Department of Communities and Local Government spokesman said the department had been “consulting on technical changes to building regulations, including energy”.

Ministers would “consider the consultation responses carefully” before announcing their plans, he said.

The spokesman added that there were no plans to change regulations covering conservatories.

The government also stressed that plans for its flagship “Green Deal” programme were separate from the building regulations proposals and were not compulsory.

Under the Green Deal, private firms offer to make energy improvements to homes, then recoup payments from homeowners through additional charges on energy bills.

The consultation had suggested that it be “aligned” with the change in building regulations so that homeowners who did have to make energy efficiency improvements could take advantage of the deal “at no upfront cost”.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17739694

Myth #3 - “A number of surveys and pilots have shown that people don’t save”

The research highlighted recently in the media was based on a handful of homes and included a wide range of home improvements beyond what was necessary to reduce their bills. Furthermore, the trials were not done to Green Deal standards as they included a number of measures that won’t be fully funded under the Green Deal such as solar heating which will be subsidised under a different scheme. Therefore they were not testing the Green Deal.

The Government cannot obviously guarantee people will save money if they then change the way they use energy, for example by heating their home for longer each day. But they should still save money compared to what it would have cost to power their home in that way without a Green Deal.

You may also be interested in:

Services4Contractors - Websites, Marketing and Certification for contractors and installers looking to get involved in the Green Deal Scheme! Call today on 0844 910 3094 for more information.

Expertina - Expertina provide Green Deal Technical Advice, Technical Seminars and Green Deal Training Assessment & Development. To find out more call 0844 910 3092.

Source: http://blog.decc.gov.uk

Myth #2 - “The method used to calculate the savings is inaccurate”

This is not true. The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), which is the method used to calculate how much people will save, is based on a survey of thousands of homes and is being constantly updated to take account of the latest research and results.

You may also be interested in:

Services4Contractors - Websites, Marketing and Certification for contractors and installers looking to get involved in the Green Deal Scheme! Call today on 0844 910 3094 for more information.

Expertina - Expertina provide Green Deal Technical Advice, Technical Seminars and Green Deal Training Assessment & Development. To find out more call 0844 910 3092.

Source: http://blog.decc.gov.uk

When it launches later this year, the Green Deal will become the most ambitious home improvement programme since the Second World War. The aim of the scheme is to help family’s improve their homes, cut their fuel bills and therefore reduce the UK’s dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels. For the scheme to reach its goal, it will need to run for almost two decades and therefore requires long term perspective and patience.

One thing that is solid is the basic Green Deal framework, which allows people to make improvements to their home without any upfront cost, which can then be paid for through electricity bills over twenty five years, from the very savings they create!

Obviously, to some people this sounds too good to be true and others have misinterpreted existing research or just got their facts plain wrong.

We will be releasing a series of posts to address some of the urban myths about the Green Deal!

Green Deal Myth #1 – “People won’t save money”

People can expect to save money.

There will be two assessments to help consumers see for themselves how much they stand to save. The first assessment will measure the average energy use of the home, and the second will look at how the occupants use the home. This should ensure that they can enter the Green Deal knowing how best to maximise what they will save.

The Green Deal charge will be fixed from the start and is designed to ensure money is saved based on existing energy prices. Therefore if energy prices rise, which seems likely, savings will substantially increase.

You may also be interested in:

Services4Contractors – Websites, Marketing and Certification for contractors and installers looking to get involved in the Green Deal Scheme! Call today on 0844 910 3094 for more information.

Expertina – Expertina provide Green Deal Technical Advice, Technical Seminars and Green Deal Training Assessment & Development. To find out more call 0844 910 3092.

Source: http://blog.decc.gov.uk

Firms will be obliged to tell people about the most suitable tariff for them and to offer it if they request it.

Announcing the move, Deputy PM Nick Clegg said seven out of 10 people have the wrong deal and pay too much.

Labour have accused energy firms of “ripping off” people and said there must be more competition in the market.

Environmental campaigners have dismissed the initiative as “tinkering” and are calling for far-reaching changes to how energy is produced and consumed.

‘A bit confusing’

But Mr Clegg told the BBC it was “an important step” as companies were currently under no obligation to tell customers whether they were on the wrong tariff and few people would “turn their noses up” at a £100 saving a year.

He said it was part of a series of measures the government was looking at, aimed at driving bills down, but admitted he had not personally switched energy providers for some time.

He said he hoped that from this autumn all the information would be much simpler and it would be much easier for people to work out the best tariff for them.

Most customers saw increases of between 15% and 18% in their gas bills in the autumn, while electricity bills also rose sharply, a move energy firms blamed on rising wholesale energy costs.

The companies concerned – British Gas, E.On, NPower, Scottish and Southern Energy, EDF and Scottish Power – will have to tell their customers once a year what their best deal is.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17668573

He began his visit at Rockwool, the world’s largest producer of stone wool insulation and the second largest insulation producer globally.

Rockwool has been working with DECC for over a year, having led a project team of volunteers who provided expert input into Green deal policy development, on behalf of the Construction Products Association.

The minister was given a tour of the factory, seeing how insulating materials are being developed and manufactured.

The Minister next took part in a CBI roundtable discussion hosted by British Gas. Mr Barker stressed that SME’s will play a key role in delivering the Green Deal. There are a number of potential business models for SME’s in the Green Deal, either as advisors or as providers.

The meeting was very broad ranging and the discussion touched on areas such as training, to local procurement and brand recognition. Overall, there was a lot of enthusiasm for the forthcoming Green Deal, especially from local authorities representatives aware of its potential.

The final stage of his visit took the Minister to Llangattock Green Valleys, where local residents have started a number of community projects to reduce their carbon footprint. These include sensor-controlled low-energy lighting at the infant and primary school, a new 25kW air source central heating system in the Community Hall and 5 local micro-hydro schemes, which as well as power also generate FITs income for the community. The visit was inspiring and illustrated very well how much can be achieved when a community gets together to tackle climate change!

If you are a contractor looking to get involved in the Green Deal – Call Services4Contractors today on 0844 910 3094 to find out more

If you are looking for Green Deal Consultancy or Technical Advise call Expertina today on 0844 910 3092

Source: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/southwales/southwales.aspx

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