The Green Deal is now live. It will give people the opportunity to transform their homes by paying for energy efficient home improvements with the savings on their energy bills.

The Green Deal is the Coalition Government’s new initiative to transform Britain’s homes. With buildings in Britain among the least efficient in the world, the Green Deal gives homes and businesses a new way of paying for energy efficient improvements such as insulation and new heating systems.

There are 45 different types of improvements currently available under the Green Deal, helping people warm up their homes and pay for some or all of the improvements over time through their electricity bill.

From today households in England and Wales who use the Green Deal to make energy saving home improvements will also qualify for hundreds of pounds of cashback from the Green Deal Cashback Scheme. The more work households decide to have done, the more cash they could receive and packages could be worth over £1,000.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “The Green Deal will help thousands of homes stay warm for less. Those people will benefit from energy saving improvements – and their energy bills will fall. The UK green sector is a success story – it is the sixth largest in the world and has a crucial part to play in building a strong economy. The Green Deal will support thousands of jobs – not just over the next few years, but in the long-term.”

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey said: “More and more families are being hit by the rising cost of fuel bills and the best way people can protect themselves from increased costs is to use less energy. This is where the Green Deal comes in, giving people a whole new way to pay for energy saving home improvements. The Green Deal is a great deal. Improve the look and feel of your home, make it cosier and at the same time save energy – what’s not to like?”

A host of businesses and industry bodies welcomed the arrival of the Green Deal and the opportunity it presents to update Britain’s housing stock and create new jobs. However there have been concerns raised about the uptake of Green Deal work by home owners.

Alex McLeod, CEO of Superglass, said:  “We want the Green Deal to succeed and to do this industry and Government must all work together to deliver on its green ambitions, protect jobs and encourage growth in the UK’s manufacturing and construction industries by making the scheme as accessible and transparent as possible for the consumer.”

To raise the profile of Green Deal the Government has also unveiled its communications campaign to tell people about the Green Deal. A nationwide campaign – ‘Green Deal with it’ – will help inform people about the benefits of the scheme and how they can sign up for a warmer home and energy savings.

Green Deal in numbers

  • £125 million is available in the Government funded Cashback Scheme
  • 8 million households could benefit from solid wall insulation
  • 4 million households could benefit from cavity insulation
  • 60,000 jobs are expected to be supported in the insulation sector alone by 2015 – up from 26,000 in 2011
  • £3.5 million of funding to training in key Green Deal skills

For more information visit www.gov.uk/greendeal