According to the latest research from the Energy Saving Trust, more thank half the homeowners in the UK are interested in new double glazing. Apparently, they say that the Green Deal will further boost that interest. Putting my skeptical head on here (as usual) it’s not as simple as that!
The Energy Saving Trust says that 52% of homeowners are thinking of having new windows installed within the next 12 months and that the Green Deal will boost that. First of all, due to the total lack of current public knowledge and no signs soon that a nationwide publicity campaign is going to start soon, if there is a boost from the Green Deal, then it will be very small. If anything, the only boost the window industry will get is when leads are made probably just out of interest when customers find out that windows are included in the deal as well as that boiler that they want replacing.
But think on this, so what if there is a boost in interest? If there is a Green Deal lead to go on, the mass majority of the industry has decided that it’s no good and will just sell against it. The only companies that seem to think it’s any good are the ones that deal with council work. If you’re in the residential market, there are too many negative points which make it very easy to sell against.
So even if there is a boost, those potential Green Deal leads will be turned into normal ones once the homeowner is explained how the mechanics of the deal works…in my honest opinion of course.
On the flip side of that coin, the added interest in double glazing overall will be welcomed. The fenestration industry doesn’t get as much attention as it probably deserves. Not as much positive attention anyway. Anything that raises interest in our industry and gets more leads coming in is a good thing.
So maybe we’re missing a point that needs to be remembered here? The Green Deal is massively flawed, we all know that. We’ll all sell against it, it will be very easy to and I think most customers would just revert back to the normal methods of buying new windows. But, despite all the negativity, the Green Deal could actually be useful in a way it never directly meant to be. It could actually raise interest in our industry as a whole, helping to generate more general leads. Some people might decide that the Green Deal is not for them, but might jog the memory and nudge them into deciding they need their windows and doors replacing anyway. And surely this is a good thing in the long run.
Personally, like the HIP’s packs, I think the Green Deal is something which will last only a short while. At the moment, there isn’t a single residential Green Deal job registered ready to start, last time I checked. This is an extremely poor start. If things don’t vastly improve, I can see the Government altering the scheme and restricting it to just the council work, or maybe even pulling it altogether. They won’t want to keep funding a scheme that isn’t making any return on their investment.
I’ve not once been asked about the green deal by any of my customers. Again it’s lets see how much more money we can squeeze out of the glazing industry for government coffers.
I am not so sure the ‘Green Deal’ will be such a lame duck, I agree it won’t be for everyone out there who wants to replace their windows. Contrary to Peter, I have been asked about the Green Deal several times in the past few weeks, in fact I have sent an independent assesor to see one of the potential customers who enquired via our website (we don’t mention it on our site yet). If he is to be believed, the customers has agreed to have our windows once the deal kicks in and apparently has about 14 people… Read more »
If enough public money (taxation) is thrown at the Green Deal, there will be some uptake. But the real question is who is going to benefit. As things stand at the moment, it is large companies; no one we have contacted in Government is interested in SMEs; they are simply hellbent on fulfilling a pet idea. It is deeply flawed and complicated (so complicated that only large enterprises have the capacity of possibly dealing with the requirements). I fear it will be the least well off that can’t easily obtain finance, who will be drawn into all this. They may… Read more »
I don’t see that public money in taxation is being thrown at the Green Deal. Finance is being provided by independent sources in return for the 7% interest they will recieve. The energy companies have created a pool of funds for the Eco Deal in order to provide grants for people in certain financial circumstances i.e. on benefits where they can get work done to make their homes more energy efficient without getting involved in the Green Deal. The energy companies have been forced by the government to provide funding for the Eco Deal grants, this money obviously comes from… Read more »
Demand for ‘green’ upgrades will be boosted by the Government’s Green Deal scheme as more than half of homeowners in the UK are interested in taking energy efficient measures – especially double-glazing. That’s the view of the Energy Saving Trust after a survey of more than 2,000 adults showed 22% of householders have purchased double-glazing in the last 12 months, followed by insulation (21%) and an energy monitor (14%). A further 52% said they are considering purchasing double-glazing and figures showed those in the North East are more likely to already have double-glazing, with 71% so far, while those in… Read more »