big green deal outputs and questions

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Activity 1 – consumer perspectives

• Cost of CWI / Loft will be greater than now – will people want it

• Tenanted properties – high turnover and will there be savings in such short period of occupancy?

• Long Term investment – need to achieve culture change

• Businesses – energy not a priority• I don’t want it!!!• Reluctance to borrow

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Activity 1 – consumer perspectives

• Businesses – conflicting priorities• Businesses – are tenants• Tenant / Landlord confusion• Don’t like the term Consumer – you don’t have

to consume.• If socially responsible then it’s likely to take off• How is this in anyone's interest / benefit?• Impartiality of businesses & local knowledge if

lacking• Potentially confusing

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Activity 2 – Gaps / Concerns

• Effort may be greater than the reward• How will LAs co-operate?• Staff resources ( LAs)• Funding – Accessing private finance – LA

resource constrained.• Take up – How attractive is the product?

Danger of building capacity but there not being demand.

• Procurement – need national / regional recognised framework.

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Activity 2 – Gaps / Concerns

• Scarcity of detail and ambitious timelines for delivery

• Clear link – handover from CERT to Green Deal• Effect on housing market• What control can LA have on GD?• Incentives for consumers to take up the offer• Effect on Fuel Poor• LAs supporting one company• Bad publicity for LA (encouraging HH to take on

loans.)

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Activity 2 – Gaps / Concerns

• Distrust of energy companies• Reporting?• Lack of political will, knowledge and timescales• Role of SME installer• Concern over stability of the GD

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Activity 3 – CIC Pros

• Partnership established• Convenience• Scale of partnership• Trust in providers• In keeping with council objectives on

sustainability and Health and Wellbeing• Pooled resources achieve economy of scale• LA involvement provides trusted brand• Trusted source of advice

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Activity 3 – CIC Pros

• People (some!) will be interested in saving money in the long term and being “green”

• Whole house approach• 1 stop shop / trusted regional provider• Linking all interested parties in a true

partnership• CIC would be respected• Easier for smallers LAs to piggy back on CIC

approach

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Activity 3 – CIC Cons

• Money is tight• Confusing• Slow to see the payback• Disruptive?• Will savings = expenditure?• Time – delivering of solution• Borrowing• Cost – staff time and resources• Will SMEs be squeezed out by larger

providers?

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Activity 3 – CIC Cons

• Will public trust the loan and payback mechanism

• LA funding reducing• How to demonstrate “win win” for LA members• Timelines – is it feasible to consult for 6 months

Oct 2011 and still start in Oct / Nov 2012?• Needs more flesh on the bones on cross tenure

situation• Can consortium ECO offering suit individual LA

needs? (mobile homes left out?)

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Activity 3 – CIC Cons

• Hard to (presently) sell to finance directors

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Activity 4 – Key Outputs

• Need to prove financial business case• Installer market place is attractive• Challenge of agreeing approach in 2-tier

authorities• CIC may overlap what community / low carbon /

CAGs are doing (although potential to buy services from CIC?)

• Senior involvement from all partners / LAs• Further meetings to disseminate key

information

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Activity 4 – Key Output

• Both organisation and individuals interested and want to be involved but still too many questions on how.

• LA interested in GD but yet to be persuaded that they should be a funding mechanism

• Political priorities – it has to make financial sense

• Capital / revenue priorities will be an issue for the LAs involvement in funding

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Activity 4 – Key Output

• Difficult to gage the interest and engagement as it involves many different departments

• GD may not be the perfect scheme however if LAs don’t get involved now there may be criticism from HH etc. & LAs may miss the chance to influence what the GD will look like locally.

• What difference will there be from referral to cocoon now for available grants etc to referring to green deal in the future?

• Availability of funds?• Inclusion of allowable solutions?

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Questions

• What will happen to existing PG group (i.e.

70+), will ECO only target SPG group?• EPC & Surveyors – how will quality be

guaranteed when most contractors employ & rely on their own employed staff?

• How is ECO going to be used?• How do you decide who is fuel poor and

therefore need ECO?• How will GD work for fuel poor? They need

fuel savings to achieve AW; not to pay back GD.

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Questions

• What happens if tenant doesn’t want to pay for the landlord to improve their property?

• What happens to houses that fall between the ATP and the vulnerable i.e. not on benefit but not affluent?

• What happens with mixed use properties i.e. businesses on ground floor, residential above?

• How do we engage residents?• Will GD apply to mobile homes?• Can the loan be paid off early?

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Questions

• What happens to the repayments if the property is destroyed by fire?

• How do we ensure that the likes of B & Q are sufficiently trained?

• How is the pay back worked out?• How will Gov’s own housing stock be dealt

with? E.g. schools, MOD• Can you make savings while paying?• Can you have multiple GDs over the years?• Will this deliver the promised CO2 savings?

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Questions

• How do we deal with new technology in the GD?

• How does this link to the new planning regime?• How can GD be bundled with FiTs/RHI?• How do we incentivise GD?• How do we take account of the fact that

compliance with the “Golden Rule” will change over time?

• Will the GD rate be fixed and competitive?

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Questions

• How can LAs gear up for GD when take up is not known?

• Will people be able (or want to) take up GD for loft and CWI as the cost will be much greater than it is currently?

• Market changes – how does GD adapt to these?

• How will LAs co-operate?• Are there savings for tenants / HH if they only

stay in property for short period?

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Questions

• How you be sure that advice is unbiased with retail companies?

• Does FiT incentive count towards savings for GD loan?

• Who will cover the cost of the GD Assessment? Is it part of the final measure cost or standalone?

• How will LA procure the right partners? Competitive tendering?

• FSA – credit rating of HH? Or what happens if they default on payment?

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Questions

• What if householder is made redundant or is unemployed through ill health and cannot make payments?

• How to get councillors on board who aren’t even interested in cost saving?

• Will the CIC be a competitive market with it’s members?

• Why should we do it ourselves? What’s in it for us?

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Questions

• Can LA be partner in CIC without providing funding? If so, what is the incentive for providing funds?

• How would returns for LA be achieved if assets are locked in CIC?

• Would GD assessors be covered by CSA rules if giving advice on a financial product?

• Will there be performance targets which will drive LA involvement in GD?

• Communication plan from Government to educate public. HOW?

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Questions

• Why would residents go through the CIC when they can go directly to installers and avoid paying referral fees?

• How will transition between CERT to GD be smooth when transition from CERT to CERT2 wasn’t and it was ultimately the same programme?

• Change in emphasis from CWI to EWI, but what happens to properties with narrow cavities, rat traps, or that have been previously filled with substandard material?

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Questions

• What CO2 target or other objective has been set for GD?

• What form will “affordable solutions” take? Can these be used in GD?

• How can LA measure what green deal installations take place?

• Will LA be happy to promote a “loan” scheme or support a single provider? ( reputation – endorsing a provider)