With just two months to go until the launch of Green Deal funding, a lack of awareness still threatens to hold back adoption of the scheme, according to a new survey from Rexel.
While consumers value greater energy efficiency in the workplace, with 48% of people stating that it is important to them that their employer is eco-friendly, only 17% of employers are aware that the Green Deal is also applicable to business. This is a missed opportunity when you consider that over 70% of those who are aware, plan to make use of a Green Deal loan.
Some Green Deal measures are getting better traction than others. For businesses that are planning to make use of Green Deal loans, LED lighting is the first consideration with 18% of employers opting for this measure, while ten percent plan to use the loans to install window glazing and nine percent to improve insulation or draught proofing. Biomass boilers and automated systems and controls are the least popular measures, with just one percent of respondents opting for these technologies.
“With more than nine in ten adults confessing that they have never heard of or don’t understand the Green Deal, it’s no wonder that Greg Barker MP was recently forced to admit that no assessments had been carried out and only 12 providers have signed up to the scheme to date,” said Brian Smithers, director, Rexel UK.
“For the Green Deal to truly deliver, it’s crucial that the industry doesn’t leave the ball in the government’s court. We need to work together to educate business owners and consumers about the benefits of energy saving measures, and the role the Green Deal can play in making these available at no upfront cost.”
“With energy bills rising, measures like the Green Deal can really help to deliver cost savings and reduce our impact on the environment.”
