Recommendation 17

In 2016 our predecessors on the Committee identified similar problems when they examined the Green Deal; in that case the former Department for Energy and Climate did not undertake enough work to understand consumer needs, and how to make it easier for them to apply. This resulted in an overly complex scheme with many process steps and excessive paperwork, resulting in extremely low demand; only 14,000 households took out a loan, leading to a cost to taxpayers of £17,000 for every loan arranged.47 Similarly, in 2018 the Renewable Heat Incentive saw poor uptake; the Department expected to install 513,000 new heating systems as part of the scheme, but at the time anticipated it would install only 111,000. This was also due to a lack of preparation by the Department to understand what consumers wanted and the potential barriers to participation.48 The Warm Front Scheme featured a lack of clarity over whether it was primarily aimed at energy efficiency or alleviating fuel poverty.49