News story: Green Deal Communities

By HM Government

Updated: Latest figures published.

Update 19 December 2013

To date we have received 40 Green Deal Communities' bids which we're are considering. We hope to announce the first successful Green Deal Communities bids in the new year.

Please see “Available funding” paragraph below regarding a change to the amount of funding available

DECC is inviting local authorities (LAs), working with their partners, to come forward with ambitious and innovative street/area based proposals for funding. These proposal should aim to deliver Green Deal plans to as many households as possible. DECC funding can also be used to support households who choose to self-finance measures.

Proposals will be judged on:

• the number and total value of Green Deal plans that will be delivered


• their credibility eg LAs will need to demonstrate that they have secured Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) funding to compliment Green Deal financed plans and to have specifically identified the streets/areas targeted


• their creativity in offering local incentives to drive demand


• their sustainability in the long term (ie beyond the DECC funding) and


• being consistent with state aid and procurement rules

Available funding

Following the announcement on 2 December 2013, there is now £80 million of capital funding available. Applications may be submitted at any time from September 2013 up to 31 December 2013 for a minimum of £1 million. LAs will be strongly encouraged to work together and with local partners to deliver.

What DECC might fund

Within the parameters above, LAs will have flexibility in how to deliver Green Deal plans with this capital funding. We would expect the following to be included:

• proposals to deliver solid wall insulation to private households with a strong blend of Green Deal finance/ECO subsidy


• a comprehensive offer to as many households as possible: some households in a street may fund measures by blending Green Deal finance and ECO, some may choose to self-fund measures, while others may be eligible for 100% ECO subsidy


• creative approaches eg local incentives, working with local community partners, or refunding Green Deal assessments where a household installs measures using Green Deal financing or self-finance


• show homes to launch activity in an area, and


• proposals that deliver long term public value eg plans/templates for how to retrofit local home types

Webchat: Applications for the Green Deal Communities Fund

DECC officials led a live webchat on the Green Deal Communities fund on Thursday 12 September answering a range of questions on:

• the fund scope


• eligibility


• and the application and assessment process

You can view a replay of the webchat on the DECC website.

Further information

• 
  Green Deal Communities application pack
  (PDF, 116KB, 18 pages)
  


• 
  Green Deal Communities application pack
  (MS Word Document, 139KB)
  


• Local authorities and the Green Deal

We remind you that all bids must comply with State aid rules (including in the context of all other Government schemes and aid) and we will only be able to approve bids which meet this requirement.

You can find detailed guidance on State aid on the GOV.UK State Aid pages. We strongly recommend seeking legal advice to ensure your bid is State aid compliant.

Photo above by Alex Pepperhill on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons