2013 was meant to be the year of the Green Deal. The new initiative was designed to enhance energy efficiency in homes and make more jobs for contractors, but in reality it seems that a massive amount of people in the UK don’t know what the Green Deal actually is.

New research carried out via Yougov and the Electrical Contractors ‘Association (ECA) has revealed that a huge 98% of people asked admitted they didn’t really have a clue exactly how the Green Deal works. In fact, 62% of all the people asked had never even heard of it!

Since the initiative is set to launch at the end of January, this isn’t particularly brilliant news for the future. The new scheme was designed to give home owners the option to install energy saving measures in their properties, with the billing for work tied into the properties’ energy bills. It’s designed to give consumers the ability to afford energy saving measures, and the work should only be carried out when there is a significant energy saving.

It’s been hoped in the past that the new scheme would be a driving factor for getting work to the many electrical contractors in the UK, but the low understanding of the scheme means significant steps need to be taken to raise public awareness.

Steve Bratt, ECA Group CEO says: “The results from this survey demand urgent action from Government and others to boost public awareness – and interest – in the Green Deal, which launches at the end of January, According to DECC, the Green Deal could be Britain’s biggest home improvement project since the Second World War, yet the public seem totally oblivious to it. It could be a massive opportunity for the public and the big and small businesses who want to take part. However, even when the Green Deal is outlined to them, only around half of respondents seem interested despite the prospect of lower energy bills. This suggests much more needs to be done to communicate the benefits to customers.”

As part of the drive to get people interested in the scheme it is designed to give extra incentives to those who use it in the first few months. The ‘Early adopter’ incentive gives homeowners up to £1000 cashback on their energy saving efforts, giving even more savings overall on energy costs.

With energy bills on the rise and growing concern among being able to afford central heating during winters, the scheme is great for homeowners looking to save money on their bills. However, the interest in the scheme and communication about it needs to be enhanced, a fact that Steve Bratt agrees with.

“With continually rising energy prices, the public are crying out for ways to get their energy bills under control.” he says. “The fact that they don’t understand that the Green Deal can do this is extremely worrying. This is potentially a very good initiative, but it will fail unless the public are switched on to it.

“The Green Deal, and those wanting to be part in it, needs proactive Government support. The extensive list of eligible energy saving and renewable energy measures can help everyone benefit from cheaper energy bills. But without proper backing, millions of people will lose out on making affordable energy savings.”

Back in September of last year we also reported that electricians weren’t entirely convinced that the Green Deal is of benefit to them as a contractor, so some effort needs to also be put into convincing contractors that the new scheme is worth their time and effort.

The Green Deal itself was meant to launch last year, but was pushed back. For more information on it you can view the blog we wrote back in September.