Free home energy assessments are available for householders across Bath and North East Somerset, from Wednesday February 6, thanks to Our Green Deal in Somerset, an initiative backed by seven local authorities, including Bath & North East Somerset Council, and run on behalf of the Centre for Sustainable Energy.
The initiative, which is funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, aims to get the area more involved with the Green Deal; the national, Government scheme, which enables householders to pay for energy efficiency improvements through their energy bills.
Green Deal energy efficiency improvements include: new heating systems, wall or loft insulation, secondary glazing and draught proofing. The improvements will help residents cut energy use, and their energy bills won’t rise overall either.
Councillor David Martin, the Council’s energy and climate change champion, said: “A home energy assessment shows which energy efficiency improvements would work best for a particular home, as well as whether any improvements could be funded through the Green Deal. Assessments usually cost around £175 each, however Our Green Deal in Somerset is giving away about 100 of them for free in our district. The offer ends on March 15 2013 though so people in the Bath & North East Somerset Council area need to sign-up quickly.”
The assessments are independent and homeowners are not obliged to sign up to any improvements. Private tenants can still take advantage of the offer but need to get their landlord’s permission first.
James Ryle from the Centre for Sustainable Energy, said: “The Green Deal has a lot to offer, particularly in Somerset which has a lot of ‘hard-to-treat’ homes where people are being hit by high fuel bills. This initiative will get the Green Deal rolling in Somerset.”
In addition to the free assessments, Our Green Deal in Somerset intends to launch a programme in the near future, which will see local community groups explain how the Green Deal works and the benefits of the scheme to householders in their area.
Details will be available shortly. A new website is also set to be launched soon, which will record the progress of the scheme. It will also include further information and details of reliable, local tradespeople.
For more information on Our Green Deal in Somerset, contact CSE’s Home Energy Team free on 0800 082 2234 or email at home.energy@cse.org.uk To learn more about the other energy efficiency initiatives available to Bath & North East Somerset residents, visit: www.bathnes.gov.uk/greendeal.