The Green Deal and LED Lighting

Written-by

Richard Burdett

Reviewed-by

Richard Burdett

Updated on

Apr 21, 2023

The Green Deal and LED Lighting

--This Scheme has now been CLOSED by Government --

With the costs savings that come from installing LED lighting, Including a reduction in the amount of electricity used, it’s good to know that there is provision under the Green Deal if you are having trouble affording the initial cost. If you don’t know what the Green Deal is, it’s basically a government backed scheme whereby you can have a range of energy efficient installations carried out on your business or home and then pay for it through a ‘levy’ on your electricity bill. If you are looking to replace all the lighting in your home then it might well set you back £300-400 and if you are considering it for the office it could be considerably more. Taking advantage of the Green Deal therefore is probably more beneficial for businesses than it is for homes. If you are short of the finances at home then you can replace a bulb at a time without breaking the bank. For a business, you may want to get a professional in to take a look at your lighting and advise on the right LED bulb installation and work on some costings before you go ahead and commit. Either way, if you want to take advantage of the Green Deal, LED lighting is one of the accepted green technologies that comes under its remit. Find out more about the cost of LED Lighting.

What was the Green Deal?

Going green, something we all want to do, can be a fairly expensive business. For most normal households it can be difficult to find the money to lag the loft, insulate the walls, put in double glazing and put in all those carbon friendly measures that not only cut down the output of CO2 but also save valuable money over time. Enter the Green Deal, a way that ordinary households and businesses can access the finances to install energy saving measures without having to come up with the cash. It works like this: You undertake a Green Deal Assessment and they suggest ways to improve your energy saving. This can be a variety of things which can be as simple as loft insulation ranging to more complex technologies such as the installation of a new boiler and even solar panels. The Green Deal Assessment basically estimates how much you will save on your electricity bill by having a particular measure installed. The cost of this is then added onto your electricity bill. There are four main stages to any Green Deal:

The Assessment

This is carried out by an approved company who will come along and take a look at your home or office and carry out a detailed assessment of the property. This will include asking not only questions about what kind of heating, lighting and insulation you have already but also how many people live in the property, whether you rent or own and how much you use appliances in the home or office. This assessment leads to a Green Deal Assessment Report which will include an Energy Performance Certificate along with ways of reducing your energy costs. You will normally have to pay for this assessment, between £60 and £100, but once you have it you can use it to implement changes to your property and offset it against a Green Deal loan.

The Green Deal Plan

This assessment and the subsequent recommendations can act as your blue print for creating a more eco-friendly and energy efficient home or office. You now have the option of contacting any Green Deal installer to implement the areas that you want to improve. Now this may well be the people who have carried out your initial assessment but you are not bound to them and don’t have to use them. This is where you shop around and get competitive quotes for the work that you want doing.

The Installation

The installation is not just about finding the right person to do the work. They will need to produce the Green Deal Plan which will include the work to be done as well as the amount that needs to be paid back and how much it will add onto your electricity bill. Repayments work on the basis of the Golden Rule. That means the amount you repay must be offset by the amount you save on your electricity bill.

The Repayment

The cost of installation is taken out of your monthly electricity bill until it has been paid off. There are possible complications with this way of paying for an installation of green technology – for instance, if your usage suddenly increases then it can make your electricity bills much higher for the duration of the payback period. It can also have issues for the next owner if you decide to move because the Green Deal payments apply to the property and not the person and will need to be transferred. Despite some small reservations, the Green Deal allows many households and businesses that are short of cash to afford improvements that can make a big difference to their energy bills. This applies to installing LED bulbs which can significantly reduce the amount of electricity you use. Find out more about how LED bulbs work.