Green Deal 'could harm insulation take-up' - 13/01/2012

The government's Green Deal policy - which is intended to cut carbon emissions and help homes get cheap energy by improving efficiency - may be set for failure as the number of lofts being insulated is set to plummet.

This is according to the government's own figures, which suggest the number of installations taking place is set to drop by 90 per cent, the Guardian reports.

Statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) obtained by Building magazine estimate 70,000 homes will have lagging fitted under the Green Deal, down from one million under current subsidy schemes.

Labour's shadow climate change minister Luciana Berger said: "These stunning figures show that the government's green deal is in danger of becoming a car crash."

She added insulation is the most effective way that people can save money on domestic energy bills, but the coalition's proposals will make this harder to do.

In order to meet government targets, more than two million homes a year would need to have loft installation fitted, the DECC figures state.

The scheme is set to open for applications later this year and the government recently made an extra £200 million available to offer incentives to early adopters.

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