... don't count on it!

From discussions with experience conveyancers (Partners in Sols Practices) recently, they have grave reservations about that. They all suggest at the moment to steer their clients away from anything like this.
Seen the 'rent-a-roof' vs remortgage debate recently?

Don't misunderstand me, I hope the GD can work, something needs to be done with the existing housing stock, but this GD is poorly thought out, and doomed to failure in its current guise

Cheers

Masses of opinions out there...

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/mortgage_misfortunes_the_free_solar_situation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/mar/23/solar-panels-dim-mortgage-prospects

et al

There are no numbers in your documents, just vague assertions. When it comes to energy and carbon emissions it's a numbers game. Without them nobody knows what they are talking about. I suggest you go and read David Mackay's book: Sustainable energy without the hot air.

Nigel

Excellent article Biff.

The same problem applies to Feed-in Tariffs. If someone uses the income for an extra holiday in the Bahamas then we are probably in a worse situation than if the PV had never been installed.

We need a zero carbon economy.

If you want to go down the zero carbon route, put a price on carbon, it is easier, cheaper and more effective than creating an artificial industry.

http://www.greendeallouth.org.uk/GDL07.html

So what might happen as we improve the energy efficiency of Louth's houses? There are various possibilities:

1. We allow our houses to be warmer, more comfortable, saving no money on our heating bills.
2. We enjoy lower heating bills by spending the money on other things.
3. We save the money in the bank.
4. We stuff the money under the mattress.

What about?

5. We work less as we don't need to earn the money thereby saving the carbon emissions associated with that work.

@Nigel
For each of the four reasons I give, the quantity doesn't matter for the purpose of my argument, only the direction of change.
1 - Same fuel burnt = Warmer house. No carbon emission saved by definition.
2 - Save money on energy bills - spend the money on other stuff. Broadly speaking, all expenditure, once it has flowed through the economy, translates into carbon emissions. This only changes if and when the link between GDP and fossil fuel use changes by, say, reducing the carbon intensity of the economy. It is happening but very slowly and not in the control of households.
3 - Put money saved in the bank - This might be the worst thing to do as fractional reserve banking allows our bank savings to be used with a multiplier, increasing GDP and hence carbon emissions. Again, the quantity does not alter my argument. It's may be bad or very bad, but that's still bad.
4 - Money under the matress - a subtle effect but nonetheless powerful when accumulated. Anythng that tends to reduce the price of energy (by demand reduction because of better insulation) will be exploited by people formally priced out of the energy market. If this allows a third world player to experience the delights of development there could be a multiplier effect even greater than fractional banking.

I say again, in all these scenarios the quantities do not matter, its the direction of travel that counts. If we make our homes more energy efficient the global carbon emissions do not go down. That will only happen when supply is constrained - i.e. we leave the black stuff in the ground.

Of course you must not interpret this as my saying that insulating our houses is not a good idea - it is! It's necessary but not sufficient when it comes to carbon emissions reduction.

Just keeping the modal price of energy at a fixed fraction of modal income, though a 'special energy tax' would promote conservation and reduce use if the fraction is chosen right.

No it does not, but not going to open up that can of worms again Biff

Greg Barker, climate change minister, promotes the Green Deal with the idea that one can hoover in one's knickers.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/minister-turns-the-disco-lights-on-to-sell-eco-home-upgrades-7717618.html

I've listed four things that may happen, and though they're not mutually exclusive, they don't have to happen. Changing what you buy only changes the first step. Your organic farmer may donate her increased profits to her nephew who has a passion for flying helicopters. But you're right about transforming the economy to low carbon - that's the key. For sure we don't want to throw out the baby - that's why Transition Louth set up the website and much more to promote home energy efficiency. Trouble is it looks like our government wants us to drink the bathwater.

If we want to save the planet we have to address the supply side. That means keeping the black stuff underground - the exact opposite of government policy and something ignored by very nearly everybody.

Posted By: biffvernonTo misquote Hawking's publisher, every number halves the readership.

Believe what he said was: "Every equation, will cut your sales in half".

Big difference, people don't mind numbers (especially the kind with a £ at the front), but equations are like maths and therefore the domain of weirdos.

All part of the omnishambles:
[quote]Prime minister asks Cabinet Office for urgent briefing on how to rescue flagship energy efficiency scheme
David Cameron has stepped in to rescue the Green Deal by commissioning the Cabinet Office to put together an urgent briefing on how the scheme can be modified to avoid a collapse in insulation installations.
The move comes just weeks after the success of the flagship energy efficiency policy was put at risk by the prime minister’s intervention to block the so-called ‘conservatory tax’ that was touted by ministers as key to driving take-up of the Green Deal.
The Cabinet Office interviewed senior figures in the sector over the weekend to establish what must be done to make the scheme viable amid increasing concern that it will prove a damp squib when it launches in October this year.[/quote]
http://www.building.co.uk/exclusive-cameron-in-urgent-bid-to-save-green-deal/5036281.article#

And here... http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/policy/policy_publications/er_fuel_water_post_digital_telecoms/cr_fuel_water_post_digital_telecoms/green_deal.htm

Makes you wonder how loud you have to shout to make them hear!