Radio 4’s You and Yours has revealed (June 2013) that fewer than 200 people have signed up for the Green Deal finance so far, even though almost 19,000 homes have been assessed. The major stumbling block to take-up seems to be fear that the Green Deal financing – which is attached to the property and paid for through electricity bills – will affect the ability to sell their houses in future.
Unfortunately, appliances are not included in the Green Deal as they can be removed from the property, even though they could meet the so-called ‘Gold Rules’ e.g. you should not have to pay back any more than the savings you’ll make on your energy bill as a result of the energy saving home improvements installed. Replacing an old inefficient fridge, freezer or washing machine, would be a good move and far less hassle than the signing up to the Green Deal. If your fridge/freezer is more than 15 years old it could be consuming twice as much electricity than an average modern equivalent. Please check out the savings on sust-it’s old appliance calculator.
