Baxi calls for a long term fix as Green Deal fund closes

Boiler manufacturer Baxi has shared in the industry-wide disappointment at the news of the early closure of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF), while stating that now is the time to go beyond quick-fixes and start thinking long-term.
Launched on June 7th 2014, the GDHIF offered households up to £7,600 each; enough to cover the majority, or in some cases all, of the cost of a variety of energy efficiency measures such as efficient heating.

But last week the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) closed the fund after just six weeks due to overwhelming demand and surge of applications from homeowners, which has seen the allocated £120m fund pot exhausted.

While the industry reaction has mainly been one of disappointment, Baxi says that such a short-term solution remains relatively minor in comparison to the long term solution needed to drive the energy efficiency agenda.

Baxi’s marketing director Andrew Keating said: “The early closure of the GDHIF due to unexpectedly high uptake is an indication of the difficulty of getting incentive schemes right.

‘Rather than further short term fixes, substantive changes are now required to make the Green Deal easier to access, particularly for heating installers who visit thousands of homes each day.

‘Ultimately, the simpler and more appealing the basic proposition to the consumer, the smaller the nudge in the form of an incentive that will be required.

“At Baxi, we are working hard with government and industry colleagues to create the conditions for a step change in delivery of energy retrofits.’