Tim Pollard, head of sustainability for Plumb Center, summarised some of the company’s comprehensive response: “With around 1.2 million boiler replacements each year, it seems obvious that heating engineers should play a pivotal role in delivering emissions reductions as part of the Green Deal. The fact is that installers – in most cases SMEs – have a unique relationship of trust with householders and while heating systems remain at the heart of domestic comfort, they are perfectly placed to suggest wider energy efficiency measures that will be covered by the Green Deal.
“With an estimated 20 million homes that could potentially benefit from Green Deal measures, no-one should underestimate the value of leveraging existing skillsets and communications channels if the scheme is to be successful.
“Our customer base covers a diverse range of technologies that could potentially be included in the Green Deal and their expertise, both for assessing needs as well as installing products, will be critical.
“As far as boiler replacements are concerned, Plumb Center believes that timely access to a Green Deal Plan is crucial, as approximately 80 per cent of these replacements are prompted by boiler breakdown, where restoring heating is the primary concern.
“In order to maximise the uptake of low carbon technologies as part of the Green Deal, other schemes such as the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and Feed-in Tariffs will need to be effectively coordinated, giving end users a clear picture of the outlay and payback period as well as projected energy savings.”
Plumb Center will continue its participation in the various Green Deal forums, industry associations and advisory panels, lobbying for a final proposal that enables the participation of small, independent installers, as well as delivering emissions reductions and ultimately fuel savings for the end user.