Whitehall officials no longer committing to October implementation date

Fears are growing that the timetable for rolling out the government’s Green Deal energy efficiency scheme may have slipped, with Whitehall officials no longer committing to the stated October implementation date.

In recent months officials have started describing the launch of the programme as happening “before the end of the year” in meetings with stakeholders.
Brian Berry, head of external affairs for the Federation of Master Builders, said: “If it’s delayed it will give a negative signal to the industry. Builders are desperate to tap into this market and it just gives the impression that the government has not got its act together.”

Andrew Warren, director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, added that a delay could be problematic because new Building Regulations, which will make it compulsory for homeowners to upgrade the energy performance of their homes when extending their homes, are set to come into force in October.

But Warren added: “As long as it doesn’t go into 2013 I don’t think it’s going to be the end of the world.”

A Department for Energy and Climate Change spokesperson said the October launch date remained in place.

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