Contractor
Q and As

Green Deal Q&A

Q. When will Green Deal start?

It is anticipated that the first Green Deals should first start to appear in Autumn of 2012.

Q. Will the Green Deal be primarily for domestic properties?

The Green Deal has been designed to cover both the domestic and non-domestic sectors. It is very difficult to accurately predict how the domestic and commercial sectors will react to the Green Deal. Research by Ernst and Young has suggested that the Green Deal could potentially create a £800million non-domestic market.

Q. What can I do now?

The Green Deal has an ambitious timeline for development. What you can do now depends on how you want to engage with the market created by the Green Deal.

I’m thinking about being an installer of energy efficiency measures!

If you are looking to be a Green Deal Installer, it would be worthwhile checking out DECC’s Green Deal Consultation and also the Green Deal Impact Assessment (IA). Although lengthy documents, they provide the business case for Green Deal and identify potential volumes of installations.

The next step would be to get a copy of the installer specification, PAS 2030. This details what the requirements are on installers. It provides actual details on the systems, process and competencies that would need to be met in order to operate in the Green Deal.

I’m thinking about being a Green Deal Advisor!

To understand the market opportunity it is worth reading DECC’s Green Deal Consultation and also the Green Deal Impact Assessment.

If your staff have not already gained accreditation for EPBD, this is the first step towards becoming a Green Deal Advisor. NICEIC is currently offering discounted domestic energy assessment training and qualifications in partnership with Elmhurst.

Click here for information on DEA Training and how to book!

Q. Where can I find out more?

A good source of information on the Green Deal is the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s website, which details timelines, consultation periods and provides a good overview of the scheme.

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/tackling/green_deal/green_deal.aspx

Q. Do Green Deal Advisors need to be independent to be impartial?

A. Green Deal Advisors will not need to be independent from the Green Deal Provider or Green Deal Installer. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), is proposing that conflict of interest is managed by a combination of third party certification of the advisor and a requirement to declare any affiliation they may have to an installer or provider.

Reference Green Deal Consultation Page 49, Paragraph 18

Q.  As a landlord can I install a Green Deal on my property?

A. Yes you can, however you will need to consider what permissions you may require. In most situations you would require the permission of the tenant as that is the bill payer.

Reference Green Deal Consultation Page 137 Paragraph 9

Q. Can I use my existing certifications to meet the requirements of Green Deal?

Many of the energy efficiency measures in Green Deal have existing certification schemes. NICEIC will be undertaking a gap analysis between these and Green Deal to establish the differences. NICEIC will be able to use previous certification activity as evidence towards Green Deal. Any gaps will need to be filled by assessment. 

Q. How do I add a product to the list of approved energy efficiency measures?

The process for adding a product to the approved list of measures will be managed by the Green Deal Oversight Body. There are two main considerations for a new measure, and resultant products.

a) Whether the measure is able to demonstrate a potential energy saving on a property

b) Whether the measure is safe and of good quality (product assurance)

It is currently proposed in the Green Deal Consultation, that in order for a measure to be approved it must go through a process called “Appendix Q”. This is an existing process that is currently used to add measures to SAP and identifies if a measure is able to generate an energy saving. More information can be found HERE

Additionally, any products entering the Green Deal supply chain must have sufficient product assurance, ensuring it is safe and of sufficient quality. All products installed must meet the requirements of the building regulations and specific requirements to be laid out in the Green Deal Code of Practice. It is anticipated that all products will require CE Marking or equivalent standard (MCS Product for Microgeneration for example) and will be subject to third party certification from 2013.

If you would like more information on CE Marking requirements in Green Deal and the MCS Product requirements, please email greendeal@niceic.com