UK launches trial of home energy makeover ‘Pay As You Save’ scheme

As the UK Government’s Energy Bill has its second reading in the House of Commons, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband announced a trial of the new ‘Pay As You Save’ home energy makeover scheme.

Pilot schemes will run in Birmingham, Sunderland, Stroud and the London Borough of Sutton to test ways of financing whole house makeovers.

In conjunction with local councils, Gentoo Sunderland, British Gas and B&Q, around 500 households will get the opportunity to invest in energy efficiency and microgeneration technologies at no upfront costs. Instead, the costs will spread over a long period to ensure that repayments are less than the predicted savings on energy bills.

“Many British householders want to reduce their emissions, but are put off by the upfront cost of installing insulation, solar panels or ground source heat pumps,” says Miliband. “Pay As You Save will trial different ways of paying for this work so it’s affordable.”

The trial will pave the way for the Government’s Great British Refurb plan to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s existing 22 million homes.

Meanwhile, the Energy Bill will mandate support for the poorest households to help with fuel costs if it succeeds. The Bill will also give new powers to energy regulator Ofgem to protect customers and tackle carbon emissions, as well as establishing the CCS Incentive to support the development of carbon capture and storage technology.

For further information:
www.decc.gov.uk
www.greatbritishrefurb.co.uk/
www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmbills/007/10007.i-ii.html

08 December 2009

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