Dramatic Crash in Cavity Wall Insulations in the Wake of the Green Deal

Since the launch of the government’s green deal initiative, installation of cavity wall insulation has fallen by 97%.

Prior to the current scheme insulation could be fitted either for free, or with the aid of substantial government subsidies. Under the new arrangement households can obtain a loan to pay for installation which they must then pay back.

In January the government predicted that a slowdown of 67% would ensue as a result of the change in policy. However, the actual impact has been far greater than initially thought. According to the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency just 1,138 installations were carried out last month, down from almost 50,000 in April 2012.

Government data shows that, in order to meet the UK’s legally binding carbon targets, 1.4 million installations would need to take place.

Luciana Berger, the shadow minister for climate change, said:

This staggering collapse in the number of energy-efficiency installations is a disaster for our economy and a body blow for hundreds of small businesses across the country. This is all the more damaging when there are at least 5.8m homes in the UK that still need cavity wall insulation, according to the government’s own estimates.

Andrew Warren, director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, joined those criticising the government, pointing to a “desperate need for financial stimuli for the green deal”.

In defence of the new measures a spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said:

The green deal is an ambitious, long-term programme designed to deliver home improvement in Great Britain on an unprecedented scale.

Additional help for this type of work may also be available for people in hard to treat properties, and those on benefits or low income.

Green Steve’s Reaction

As far as I understand it, the prevention of heat loss from homes is one of the easiest and most cost effective “wins” when it comes to reducing our energy needs and our greenhouse gas emissions.

Therefore, this huge drop can only be seen as a failure of the Green Deal and the government needs to address this situation double quick if we are to meet our climate obligations.

Steve (156 Posts)

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