Just a quick update today, as the deadline for our next issue is approaching rapidly. Anyone interested in reading more about the pay-as-you-save programme launched in Britain yesterday should take a look at the official press release. The plans seem quite ambitious - ambitious enough to make you wonder if the amount of work that's being planned can be done properly in such a short space of time. Are the skills and expertise available and ready?
These figures caught my eye particularly:
The strategy will be implemented in a three stage plan:
- To insulate 6 million homes by the end of 2011
- To have insulated all practical lofts and cavity walls by 2015
- To have offered up to 7 million eco upgrades by 2020; all homes to have smart meters.
According to the Guardian yesterday:
Under legislation proposed today, homeowners would be able to take out loans for thousands of pounds to install loft or wall insulation or solar panels. These loans would be fixed against the home, so that if the borrower moved out, they would not have to continue to pay.
The new owner would inherit the annual charge to pay for the green measures, but would also continue to benefit from the resulting lower energy bills. The government said that the finance – expected to come from retailers such as B&Q and banks including the Co-op – would initially be available on a small scale from 2012, although this would improve.
