With the green deal proving a harder sell than expected there are indications the government may take a tougher line in its quest for carbon cuts.
Two stories emerging in the last week present different sides of the pictures.
The first, a report from the Energy Saving Trust on its pay as you save pilots, adds to the mounting evidence that the green deal may not be as popular as expected.
The partners in the five pilots had to work a lot harder than anticipated to get households to sign up, despite offering them free energy efficiency improvements paid for using fuel bill savings.
This is unsurprising, given the mounting evidence that extra incentives may have to be offered if the green deal is to be a success.
If the green deal doesn’t go as well as hoped the government will have to look elsewhere for carbon reductions, and a hint of where it might turn is contained in the speech communities minister Andrew Stunell gave to the Liberal Democrat conference today.
Mr Stunell talks about the ‘need to do much more on compliance’ and reveals the Communities and Local Government department has set up an advisory group on the subject to feed into the next review of building regulations, due in 2013.
It could be the first sign that the government is prepared to use the stick if the carrot does not allow it to fulfil its promise to be the ‘greenest government ever’.
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Readers' comments (3)
F451 | 20/09/2011 3:58 pm
They will only have to use the stick because Ken Clarke ate the carrot.
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Rick Campbell | 20/09/2011 7:06 pm
I'm off on my Zimmer frame to purchase some carrots because, as a social renter, I'm a bit fed up of these sticks.
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Jono | 20/09/2011 10:46 pm
When will the Ministers notice the Green Deal is unpopular, and listen to consumers who have been telling them where they can stick it?
These directives will damage energy suppliers and aren't even popular with the customers either. They are not even remotely likely to stop AGW (which in any case is not the danger it is made out to be).
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