On June 20th, the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) attended the Dods Green Deal Dialogue roundtable discussion at the House of Commons to brief Members of Parliament on GGF Members’ concerns on the Green Deal.
Being prepared as the Government’s flagship initiative, Green Deal is designed to encourage the take up of energy efficiency measures by UK homes and businesses. Funded by private finance from the likes of supermarkets, home improvement stores and the Green Deal Finance Company, consumers will be advanced loans to pay for improvements such as cavity wall insulation, replacement windows or new boilers.
In the run-up to its implementation there is growing scepticism as to who it will benefit, with fear among SMEs that they will be priced out of the market by financiers and big companies. This issue was central to the debate at the parliamentary roundtable discussion amongst MPs, and members of the Dods’ Green Deal Dialogue.
The event was attended by;
- Jess McCabe, Sustainable Housing (chair)
- Simon Wright MP, Secretary & Acting Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Green Deal Group (room sponsor)
- Steve Brine MP
- Oliver Colvile MP
- Jim Dobbin MP
- Julie Elliott MP
- John Leech MP
- Mark Spencer MP
- Dr Alan Whitehead MP
- James Lee, Glass & Glazing Federation
- Neil Pennell, Land Securities
The meeting started with some reflection on the recent Green Deal Dialogue’s research findings of MPs and their understanding of Green Deal and ECO. The dialogue then progressed and addressed areas such as;
- The potential impact and benefits of the green deal for local business including commercial property landlords
- The potential impact and benefits of the green deal for local consumers including businesses based in multi-occupancy commercial buildings
- New thought, suggestions and recommendations on how to make Green Deal work for all concerned
Within the discussion the Federation raised its Members concerns gleaned from last year’s GGF Green Deal Debates and from the contributions to the Formal Response to the Green Deal Consultation in January 2012. Subjects addressed included;
- The impartiality of the Green Deal Assessment
- The access for SMEs to Green Deal work and finance
- The threat of new entrants to the market place acting as Green Deal Providers
- The cash flow issues that many SMEs could face due to the bureaucracy of Green Deal
Conservative MP Steve Brine raised the likelihood of larger market players pricing smaller businesses out of the market, through the provision of extra products and services for free. Something smaller businesses will not be able to compete with.
Labour MP Dr Alan Whitehead said he was hoping secondary legislation would iron out certain elements of the scheme, particularly in ensuring small businesses are not left out of the scheme and thus unable to tender.
In terms of ensuring the consumer benefits from measures in the Green Deal, Liberal Democrat MP John Leech pushed on the need for checks and balances that guarantee service level. He drew on the fact that consumers have been "ripped off" in the past, using the example of loft insulation that has never been installed.
Neil Pennell from Land Securities, said there is a danger that unchecked providers could 'push their own products' into consumer houses that already have a good energy performance.
James Lee, GGF Marketing and Communications Manager who attended the meeting on behalf of the Federation commented, “It was good to convey the GGF’s concerns over Green Deal and ECO and to brief Members of Parliament who have a genuine interest in the long term future of construction, energy efficiency and the environment.”