The third sector can help the government realise its ambition of being the greenest ever, according to one expert.
Community groups and social enterprises can maximise the impact of the Green Deal, the Government programme to reduce carbon emissions by increasing the energy efficiency of British homes, argues Bates, Wells & Braithwaite solicitor Simon Steeden.
The Green Deal will be launched in October but there are fears uptake will be low.
To make the Green Deal really transformational, Steeden says local authorities should be empowered to make energy efficient improvements to homes, in partnership with community groups, unless householders choose to opt out.
Currently, the idea is that householders have to opt in to be part of the Green Deal.
The Green Investment Bank and Big Society Capital could also help the Green Deal become a success by securing funds for community groups, rather than for-profit energy firms, to manage the “retrofitting” of homes to make them energy efficient. “Community groups could increase uptake of Green Deal on the ground, by acting as trusted advocates in a way that the energy companies cannot,” argues Steeden.
Community groups could get the best deal for householders and make the process of conversion as easy as possible, providing help with practicalities like clearing lofts for insulation.
The Government has made stuttering moves to involve the third sector through the £10m Local Energy Assessment Fund, which supports community-led energy efficiency schemes and consulting on preferential subsidies for green energy generation undertaken by community groups.
“We welcome these moves, which can make the process of reducing carbon emissions by households more than just a middle class subsidy,” says Steeden. “But the government should go a lot further.”
A Green Deal fund for community groups could encourage additional loans by charitable trusts and foundations, argues Steeden.
Charities are now allowed to practice “mixed motive investment” which combines financial and social returns.
“Charities interested in poverty reduction could also have a role to play through guaranteeing Green Deal loans to the fuel poor,” says Steeden.
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