Home Energy Efficiency Scheme
Posted: 24th July 2013
Halifax based community interest company Yorkshire Energy Services (YES) is working with the Green Skills Alliance (GSA) to provide free guidance for hundreds of small and medium sized construction businesses across Yorkshire, in a bid to bring energy efficiency improvements to thousands of homes.
The Green Deal is the Government’s flagship scheme to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and was launched in January this year. YES is currently helping firms in Yorkshire to take advantage of the business opportunities on offer by providing skills and training support, which is helping local people save money on their energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions.
As part of its service, YES has developed the ‘Green Deal Installer Hub’ at” http://www.greendealinstallerhub.co.uk. This is an online ‘go-to’ site for small and medium sized (SME) construction firms, providing information on the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) schemes. This includes how to become an accredited installer, what qualifications are needed and how they can connect with relevant organisations to access Green Deal and ECO funding. Since the site was launched, over 700 SME firms have registered.
Nigel Hollett of the Green Skills Alliance comments: “The Green Deal is a business opportunity for Yorkshire’s SME construction firms in a challenging climate. It is also an opportunity to vastly improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the region. But the new legislation and the training and qualifications that underpin it can be confusing. It can be hard for SME building firms to know exactly what they need to do to work under the scheme.”
Hollett continues: “Through these initiatives, YES is helping to cut through that confusion and make the scheme more accessible for smaller businesses. It is also working to help young individuals training in construction to obtain low carbon skills which will prove vital for their futures.”
As well as providing vital information, the Green Deal Installer Hub can be used by firms to advertise and search for work and aims to offer accredited members the opportunity to access ECO funding.
Emma Kovaleski, Development Manager at YES comments: “We are very keen that the Green Deal and ECO schemes are open to all Yorkshire’s construction businesses to win work – right down to the one man operation. In our experience, SME businesses are often the most trusted in the local community and have an important role to play in Yorkshire’s low carbon future. By working with the Green Skills Alliance and taking steps to ensure these businesses are prepared for the future, we can help firms to profit from new work and help the UK’s building stock to become more energy efficient.“
Funded through UKCES, the GSA is a collaboration of Asset Skills, ConstructionSkills and SummitSkills who came together to help the built environment supply chain gear up for Green Deal. YES is one of eight ’Green Deal Skills Exemplars’ where the GSA is working with different employers to help get organisations of all sizes involved in the Green Deal.
Yorkshire Energy Services continues to work with the Green Skills Alliance in developing further skills opportunities for the county’s SMEs.
Yorkshire Energy Services’ Green Deal Installer Hub can be accessed at www.greendealinstallerhub.co.uk
For more information on the Green Deal and ECO work opportunities and skills requirements, visit www.cutcarbon.info