Gemserv wins Green Deal oversight role

Service provider Gemserv has won the contract to run the Green Deal oversight body which will be responsible for the registration of firms providing energy efficiency measures through the government’s flagship scheme.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change today said Gemserv would run the new Green Deal oversight body and would be responsible for the registration of assessors, installers and providers and monitoring compliance with the Code of Practice under the Green Deal.

DECC said Gemserv, with their partners REAL, had been chosen to provide the services for the next three years following an open competition.

DECC said the service would commence in early August ahead of the “staged introduction of the Green Deal later in the year”.

DECC also confirmed there would be no fees for assessors, installers and providers to get the official Green Deal “stamp of approval” during the first two years of the scheme.

“DECC will fund all costs associated with the registration and oversight service for the first two years, with the intention of moving to a fee-based approach from year three onwards, when the Green Deal has become established,” the department said.

Energy minister Greg Barker, said: “We need to make sure all the Green Deal assessors, installers and providers get our stamp of approval to ensure the highest level of consumer protection for householders and businesses under this scheme.

“No registration fees for the first two years will remove burdensome admin costs at a time when many can least afford them, helping encourage organisations to get onboard and offering more freedom of choice for consumers.”

DECC also announced the appointment of the Ombudsman Services Ltd, which currently runs Ofgem’s Energy Ombudsman service, as the provider of the Green Deal Ombudsman and Investigation Service.

The department said this would be a free service for customers who are unable to reach an agreement with their Green Deal provider over a complaint. DECC said the Ombudsman, which will be in place from October 2012, would investigate complaints and determine redress for consumers.

Chief Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said: “The Green Deal is a new concept to householders. Consumers taking up the Green Deal can be confident that if something goes wrong they will have easy access to independent and effective redress.