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Susie Andrews Group Environmental Sustainability Manager |
Susie Andrews - Group Environmental Sustainability Manager at Affinity Sutton
Since the launch of our FutureFit report a month ago, the debate and discourse around the Green Deal has continued to rage. No doubt it will keep going until we are given some framework to hang our discussion on in the form of the Energy Bill consultation, due later this month. At the moment the endless discussion can all seem a bit too much: can Government really get this right and ready to go in 12 months? A couple of weeks ago I took part in an online panel debate about Green Deal delivery, hosted by the Guardian, and there seemed to be many more questions than answers.
But this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. Those of us already engaged in the Green Deal are flexing our visionary muscles, turning the concept over and over with each other, and trying to look at as many angles as we can and pose all the questions that need to be answered so that the Green Deal will be something that people want and that will significantly help UK Plc towards its carbon reduction targets. Many of those taking part in the numerous discussions have considerable experience not only in retrofitting homes, but also in delivering other improvement programmes such as Decent Homes, and in working positively with residents. We know that the Green Deal has the potential to be what Government wants it to be, despite the obstacles that need to be overcome. But we need Government to ask the right questions in the consultation: how can we ensure people want to take up the Green Deal? How can we ensure large scale delivery? How can we maximise carbon savings? And then we need them to take heed of our answers.
