The government’s flagship Green Deal scheme came under fire in the closing months of 2013, with sceptics pointing to a lukewarm response from the general public. Aimed at helping UK householders and business owners to install energy-saving measures through the provision of low-cost loans, the Green Deal programme was rolled out in 2012. While some commenters have been eager to criticise the scheme, a recent uptick in Green Deal installation casts a rosier light on the future of the programme.

For some time, it’s been increasingly clear that the UK as a whole needs to become more energy-efficient, both in the domestic and industrial sectors. As well as the environmental impact of wasted energy, many households are experiencing real hardship as a result of unnecessarily high fuel bills; yet some are deterred from installing energy-saving improvements by the perceived high cost of such measures.

Green Deal participants are given a list of recommended improvements.  Once they have received a quote for the measures, Green Deal cashback can be applied for, for each of the measures being installed.  The amount of cashback is uncapped – the more measures installed, the more cashback to be claimed.  The cost of the work can be paid for through Green Deal finance or by the customer in full.  Either way still benefiting from Green Deal Cashback.

While it’s true that a total of 57 Green Deal plans were actually completed as of September 2013.  Many more customers have chosen not to opt for the Green Deal finance and pay for the measures themselves, still making their homes more energy efficient. One reason for the lower uptake may have been poor public awareness; as more and more people learn about what the Green Deal, can do for them and the different ways to finance the measures it’s inevitable that uptake rates will increase.