Funding for new research into Green Deal take-up
Green research news – by Beth Glanvill
11th October 2011
The University of East Anglia (UEA) has been awarded new funding to research the Green Deal and how to encourage its take-up among consumers.
The £355,000 award from the
UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) will fund research being conducted by the
Norwich Business School and the
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at
UEA into the
Green Deal, the Government’s flagship energy
policy to insulate Britain’s homes and businesses. DIY retailer B&Q and the Low Carbon Innovation Centre at UEA are also participating in the research. The two-year project will be the first of its kind to evaluate how potential customers can be incentivised to invest in
energy efficiency measures through the Green Deal.
The Green Deal will enable homeowners and businesses to access loans for loft and cavity wall insulation, lagging and other energy efficiency measures. The Government says it will see billions of pounds lent every year and create 250,000 jobs between now and 2020. However, concerns have been raised among businesses and investors that the scheme will not deliver the required take-up among cash-strapped homeowners. A lack of awareness amongst the public about the Green Deal, which is due to launch in autumn 2012, and the benefits of energy efficiency improvements could also impact negatively on the success of the programme.
Consumer behaviour "Our study will bring together business, economics and consumer behaviour research to examine how the Green Deal might best engage with consumers, through better understanding why they buy low energy products and how to motivate more people to do so," said Dr George Chryssochoidis of Norwich Business School. "Ultimately this research will help to reduce the UK’s energy use and carbon emissions."
B&Q, which is partnering on the research, will be one of the companies delivering the Green Deal. It was announced last week that the retailer is one of the 16 founding members of the Green Deal Finance Company, a not-for-profit venture that will offer cheap loans to households and businesses making energy efficiency investments through the Green Deal.
Other grant awards
The Green Deal funding is part of £2 million of grants unveiled yesterday by the UKERC across six energy research projects. These included a project looking into developing a global framework for quantifying the ecosystem service impacts of oil and biofuel production; the global and local impacts on ecosystem services of energy provision in the UK; risk assessment of the UK energy policy; and smart grids.
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