Letter: Green Deal was always flawed

As CEO of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), I have consistently voiced doubts about the Green Deal and have made my thoughts clear to government officials in the past (“Green Deal ‘dead in water’ after funding pulled”, www.building.co.uk, 23 July 2015).

I always felt that the Green Deal was flawed and that it put homeowners who took up the loan at a disadvantage, especially when they wanted to sell their home. The loan is attached to the property and added to the electricity bill, so if it was assessed for the needs of a large family wanting lots of hot water, and so on, the same rule may not apply to new occupiers who bought it. They could be paying much higher bills in the long run.

I do support all appropriate measures to reduce carbon footprint and, when the government is ready to start planning a new scheme, I urge officials to talk to the CIPHE. The institute has members (micro SMEs) who are qualified and competent to install renewable technologies. I have no doubt that, as the chartered body for the plumbing and heating industry, we can put in place a scheme that is cost effective, achievable and, most importantly, works in the public interest.

Kevin Wellman, CEO of CIPHE, via email