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Green Deal: Energy-saving the domestic way | The Economist
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imagefield-field_blog_logo" width="211" height="95" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047im_/http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/images/blog_sites/_0000s_0014_blighty.png?1328719157"/> <div class="blog-post-header"> <span><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty">Blighty</a></span> <h2>Britain</h2> </div> </div> <div class="item-list"><ul id="blog_post_sublinks"><li class="first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/economistipsos-mori-issues-index" data-ec-omniture="blogs_nav_top|prev">Previous</a></li> <li class="even"><span>Next</span></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty" class="sublink_latest" data-ec-omniture="blogs_nav_top|blog_site">Latest Blighty</a></li> <li class="even last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs" data-ec-omniture="blogs_nav_top|all_blogs">Latest from all our blogs</a></li> </ul></div><hgroup class="typog-content-header main-content-header"> <h1 class="fly-title">Green Deal</h1> <h3 class="headline"> Energy-saving the domestic way </h3> </hgroup> <aside class="floatleft light-grey"> <time class="date-created">Jan 28th 2013, 13:38</time><span class="location"> by A.B.</aside> <div id="block-ec_components-share_inline_header" class="block block-ec_components"> <div class="content clearfix"> <div class="share_inline_header"><ul class="clearfix"><li class="share-inline-header-facebook first" data-ec-omniture-frame="top_fb"><fb:like href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal" ref="scn/fb_ec/energy_saving_the_domestic_way" send="false" layout="button_count" show_faces="false" font=""></fb:like></li> <li class="share-inline-header-twitter even last" data-ec-omniture-frame="top_twitter"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" data-related="theeconomist" data-url="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://econ.st/Yz8uzM" data-counturl="http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal">Tweet</a></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="main-content"> <p>BRITAIN’S leaky buildings are responsible for around 40% of the country’s greenhouse-gas emissions. So as the government faces up to its obligation to reduce these by 80% (from 1990 levels) by 2050, it has proposed an ambitious plan to retrofit housing stock and business premises with energy-efficiency measures.</p><p>The Green Deal launches today, though that might be news to you: according to a YouGov poll last week, four out of five Britons have not actually heard of the deal. Given that politicians have spoken of improving 14m of the country's 26m houses, they have been careful to suggest that the deal is going to be a slow-burner. It is certainly starting off that way.</p><p>The idea behind the Green Deal is smart enough: householders and business owners will pay for energy-saving improvements—45 are currently eligible—through their electricity bill. They pay over the course of time, rather than in one wodge up front, and the money saved in energy usage should pay off the new debt. The loan stays with the property.</p><p>The process begins with a Green Deal assessor visiting the premises to work out what changes could be usefully made. According to the deal’s “Golden Rule”, only if the value of the savings over 25 years is greater than the cost of the proposed work does the scheme get the go-ahead. “Golden Rule” seems a mite bullish, though, for something that amounts to a guideline instead of a guarantee. After all, if your energy needs change—and particularly if they diminish—then you could end up paying more than you save.</p><p>The bill-payer takes the assessment plan to a Green Deal provider (or to several; shopping around is encouraged) who will arrange the work and calculate the terms of the repayment. The interest rate will probably be somewhere around 7%, based on the 6.96% rate at which the Green Deal Finance Company will lend to the providers.</p><p>Moves to transform the energy efficiency of Britain’s housing stock are worth applauding, but some aspects of the Green Deal will leave potential customers feeling a little queasy. Some will wonder whether in the current climate the government should be encouraging its electors to take on debt, even for environmentally beneficial ends. And it is unclear what effect the deal will have on the property market: some would-be buyers will not want to purchase properties burdened with large loans.</p><p>The fact that the £100-or-so cost of the assessors’ services will in many cases have to be paid up front will also put customers off. The government hopes to incentivise people to join the Green Deal by offering early participants money back. It has put £125m into a cashback scheme, which is available on a first-come-first-served basis. The first £40m of that will be given out per energy-efficiency measure according to a sliding scale (£250 for cavity wall insulation, for example, and £50 for draught-proofing). After that the rates are likely to reduce. Perhaps, as suggested by Labour’s Alan Whitehead in his <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://alansenergyblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/cashfront-vs-cashback-a-modest-proposal/" target="_blank">blog</a>, the money could be more wisely diverted towards funding the assessments.</p><p>And finally, the punitive interest rates will ensure that a lot of useful household improvement works simply will not qualify under the Golden Rule. When he was Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne called the Green Deal "the most ambitious energy-saving plan ever put forward”. As it lurches into action this week, he may be relieved to be no longer involved.</p></div> <div id="block-ec_blogs-ec_blogs_block_prev_next" class="block block-ec_blogs"> <div class="content clearfix"> <aside class="prev-next"> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/economistipsos-mori-issues-index" class="prev-next-prev" data-ec-omniture="blogs_nav_bottom|prev"> <span>Previous</span> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047im_/http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/90_by_90/images/2013/01/blogs/blighty/untitled.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-90_by_90" width="90" height="90"/> <p> <span>The Economist/Ipsos-MORI issues index:</span> Unhealthy </p> </a> <span class="prev-next-next" data-ec-omniture="blogs_nav_bottom|next"> <span>Next</span> <p> <span>:</span> </p> </span> </aside> </div> </div><div id="block-ec_components-share_inline_footer" class="block block-ec_components"> <div class="content 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Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers. <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/legal/terms-of-use#usercontent">Review our comments policy</a>.</p> <div class="box"> <div class="content"><form action="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal#comment-form" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post" id="comment-form" class="ajax-form comment-forms"> <div><a name="commentForm"></a> <div class="form-item clearfix" id="edit-comment-wrapper"> <label for="edit-comment"><span class="form-required" title="This field is required.">*</span> Add a comment (up to 5,000 characters):</label> <textarea cols="60" rows="8" name="comment" id="edit-comment" placeholder="Add a comment (up to 5,000 characters)" class="form-textarea resizable required"></textarea> </div> <input type="hidden" name="form_build_id" id="form-57abb3069c09051c9e2364181e04a464" value="form-57abb3069c09051c9e2364181e04a464"/> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" id="edit-comment-form" value="comment_form"/> <input type="hidden" name="mollom[session_id]" id="edit-mollom-session-id" value="" class="mollom-session-id"/> <div style="display: none;"><div class="form-item clearfix" id="edit-mollom-homepage-wrapper"> <input type="text" maxlength="128" name="mollom[homepage]" id="edit-mollom-homepage" size="60" value="" title="Homepage" autocomplete="off" class="form-text"/> </div> </div><input type="submit" name="op" id="edit-submit" value="Post" class="form-submit ajax-trigger"/> </div></form> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sort"><p>Sort:</p><ul class="clearfix" id="sort-comments"><li class="first">Newest first</li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal?sort=2#sort-comments" rel="nofollow">Oldest first</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal?sort=3#sort-comments" rel="nofollow">Readers' most recommended</a></li> </ul></div><a name="comments"></a> <article id="comment-1861442" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/guest-lawwnlj/comments" title="View guest-lawwnlj's profile">guest-lawwnlj</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-29T04:23:28+00:00">Jan 29th 2013 4:23 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>As we know that green deal is the best energy saving plan. We are at localgreendealcompany.co.uk provides green deal installations and green deal finance services.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1861442?token=676765a36cf4b4e2002e1e48246dc6b7&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: As we know that green deal is" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>1</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861442?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861442" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1861442#comment-1861442" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1861442" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1861442" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> <article id="comment-1861252" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/bampbs/comments" title="View bampbs's profile">bampbs</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-29T00:11:58+00:00">Jan 29th 2013 0:11 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>"Incentivize" is such an unfortunate biz buzzword. It's ugly, too. And there are plenty of plain English words to use in its place. How about "encourage"?</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1861252?token=56680898a6c807f6058dd1c7cb4d4ed3&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: "Incentivize" is such an" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>2</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861252?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861252" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1861252#comment-1861252" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1861252" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1861252" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> <article id="comment-1861175" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/fleetwoodbrougham/comments" title="View fleetwoodbrougham's profile">fleetwoodbrougham</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-28T23:17:53+00:00">Jan 28th 2013 23:17 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>with a small amount of money going in to this amounts to little more than gimic.<br/> Would think more would need to be looked at on the enery production side.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1861175?token=e0ca70cd7ef459c960f373cc2f180848&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: with a small amount of money" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>0</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861175?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861175" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1861175#comment-1861175" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1861175" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1861175" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> <article id="comment-1861079" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/betty-chambers/comments" title="View Betty Chambers's profile">Betty Chambers</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-28T21:44:17+00:00">Jan 28th 2013 21:44 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>Geez what bored people these environmentalists are. It's the worst of the latest religious faddism. Why don't they plant trees? It takes less time, money and preening.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1861079?token=7f2fceb75f264e54562b55996fc6432a&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: Geez what bored people these" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>1</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861079?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1861079" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1861079#comment-1861079" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1861079" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1861079" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> <article id="comment-1860735" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/tw880/comments" title="View TW880's profile">TW880</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-28T17:45:50+00:00">Jan 28th 2013 17:45 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>I'd flag up an issue for renters, too, who have little incentive to do anything. A long-term repayment isn't much use on a standard 12-month contract (and the disruption of installation seems more significant when you only look on a 12 month timescale). So the tenant doesn't want to do it. But the tenant pays the bills, so the landlord has little incentive, unless they hope they can parlay it into charging slightly more rent, which seems unlikely.</p> <p>So that's 15% of all housing stock already irrelevant to the scheme.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1860735?token=53f6fdfd6bfb4f27c63525d8dda2c438&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: I'd flag up an issue for" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>3</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860735?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860735" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1860735#comment-1860735" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1860735" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1860735" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> <article id="comment-1860592" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/vlad-impatient/comments" title="View Vlad The Impatient's profile">Vlad The Impatient</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-28T15:24:34+00:00">Jan 28th 2013 15:24 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>Tying the loan to the property and making it really long term in the market like British where people own a lot of where they live, but not for a very long time is going to be the programme's undoing.<br/> When reading this my gut feeling immediately was: "Will I want to buy a house with this sort of debt attached, and for the 'improvements' I may not have wanted in the first place?". The gut answer to this was a resounding "Most likely not!" - and a bit of a tightening/twisting.<br/> I guess this is what a lot (majority?) of Britons will feel, and therefore a lot (majority?) will also forego taking out the 'improvements' in the first place, fearing their properties will become unsellable.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1860592?token=fc78ca6c06ddc86b1c10ddff86daf3a2&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: Tying the loan to the" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>2</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860592?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860592" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1860592#comment-1860592" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1860592" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1860592" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> <section class="indented"> <article id="comment-1860616" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/artemio-cruz/comments" title="View Artemio Cruz's profile">Artemio Cruz</a> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1860592#comment-1860592" class="reply-to">in reply to Vlad The Impatient</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-28T15:46:43+00:00">Jan 28th 2013 15:46 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>In Germany houses now must come with an "energy certificate" which helps prospective buyers assess what their future energy bills might be which might at some point make the market somewhat more competitive. Hefty subsidies and incentives are available for modernisation and have been popular and a reasonable effective way of stimulating the building trade over the last few years. Continually ratcheting up the standards but subsidising the process is a common German approach to, er, progress.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1860616?token=58f2e070d8b9988d5ab67a1a4e45a15b&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: In Germany houses now must" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>3</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860616?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860616" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1860616#comment-1860616" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1860616" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1860616" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> <article id="comment-1860620" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/vlad-impatient/comments" title="View Vlad The Impatient's profile">Vlad The Impatient</a> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1860616#comment-1860616" class="reply-to">in reply to Artemio Cruz</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-28T15:50:23+00:00">Jan 28th 2013 15:50 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>We've had similar "certificates" in the UK for a number of years now, too. Apart from costing £400-£500 to create when selling your house, I haven't noticed anyone taking them into account in any significant way when purchasing property. For one, you need only look around the place to know if it's heat proof - at least to the extent you are interested in such factors when buying.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1860620?token=aa2fa2395d663315875433d48e9df57f&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: We've had similar" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>1</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860620?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860620" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1860620#comment-1860620" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1860620" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1860620" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> </section> </article> <article id="comment-1860573" class="single-comment"> <div> <header> <div> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/users/artemio-cruz/comments" title="View Artemio Cruz's profile">Artemio Cruz</a> <time class="created" title="2013-01-28T15:05:44+00:00">Jan 28th 2013 15:05 GMT</time> </div> </header> <div class="comment-body"><p>Definitely right to be sceptical about this: anything that does not involve the energy generators is not going to go anywhere fast. This is why the concept of the negawatt is so engaging: producers have a vested interest in getting their customers to use less energy. Anything else usually ends up as a more or less efficient industry subsidy.<br/> _<br/> It is also very important to have a scheme that works for people on lower incomes who traditionally cannot or are at least less likely to invest. And, if they do not own a property, they have even less incentive to.<br/> _<br/> PS. "incentivise/ize" really isn't a word.</p> </div> <footer class="clearfix"> <ul class="links"><li class="comment_recommend first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/vote/recommend-comment/1860573?token=5e0e085ac0f376220cbae73afc8e38bc&nid=21571001&page=0&sort=0" title="Recommend comment: Definitely right to be" class="recommend" data-ec-omniture="recommend_comment" rel="nofollow">Recommend</a> <div><span>1</span></div></li> <li class="comment_report_abuse"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860573?destination=node%2F21571001" title="Report this comment to our moderators" class="report-anchor secondary-action" data-form-ajax="/ajax/report-abuse/comment/21571001/1860573" rel="nofollow">Report</a></li> <li class="permalink"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/1860573#comment-1860573" title="Permanent link to this comment" rel="nofollow" class=" secondary-action">Permalink</a></li> <li class="comment_reply last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/comment/reply/21571001/1860573" data-form-ajax="/ajax/comment/reply/21571001/1860573" rel="nofollow">reply</a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </article> </section> </div> <!-- /#main-area --> <div id="column-right" class="grid-6 clearfix"> <div id="block-ec_components-page_tools_compact" class="block block-ec_components"> <div class="content clearfix"> <ul class="ec-page-tools ec-pt-compact clearfix"><li class="pt-comment first"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal#comments" class="view-comments" data-ec-omniture="go_to_comments">Comment (9)</a></li> <li class="pt-print even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal/print" rel="nofollow" title="Printer friendly version" data-ec-omniture="print_content">Print</a></li> <li class="pt-email"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/01/green-deal/email" rel="nofollow" title="E-mail this to a friend">E-mail</a></li> <li class="pt-permalink even" data-ec-omniture="permalink"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/node/21571001" rel="nofollow" class="active">Permalink</a></li> <li class="pt-randr"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://s100.copyright.com/AppDispatchServlet?publisherName=economist&publication=economist&title=Energy-saving%20the%20domestic%20way&publicationDate=20130128&contentID=21571001&type=BL&orderBeanReset=0&srTitle=" data-ec-omniture="reprints_permissions">Reprints & permissions</a></li> <li class="even last"></li> </ul> </div> </div><div id="block-ec_blogs-ec_blogs_block_bloginfo" class="block block-ec_blogs"> <div class="content clearfix"> <div class="title"> About Blighty</div> <div class="about"><p>Political, cultural, business and scientific commentary about Britain, the spiritual and geographical home of The Economist</p> </div> <div class="links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/https://twitter.com/EconBritain" class="twitter-follow-button">Follow us on Twitter @EconBritain</a> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/index.xml" class="rss" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS 2.0">RSS feed</a></div> </div> </div><div id="block-ec_ads-top_mpu_ad" class="block block-ec_ads"> <div class="content clearfix"> <div class="ec-ads ec-ads-remove-if-empty"><p>Advertisement</p><!-- Site: Globalisation. 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Named for a tree whose branches have sheltered great ideas">Banyan<span class="description"> | Asia</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab" title="Our correspondents delve into the politics, economics and culture of the continent of Africa, home of huge baobab tree">Baobab<span class="description"> | Africa</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty" title="Political, cultural, business and scientific commentary about Britain, the spiritual and geographical home of The Economist">Blighty<span class="description"> | Britain</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/buttonwood" title="Our Buttonwood columnist considers the ever-changing financial markets. Brokerage was once conducted under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street">Buttonwood's notebook<span class="description"> | Financial markets</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/theworldin2013" title=" This blog accompanies The World in 2013, our almanac of predictions for the year ahead. It is named after the prophetess of Greek mythology">Cassandra<span class="description"> | The World in 2013</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/charlemagne" title="Our Charlemagne columnist and his colleagues consider the ideas and events that shape Europe, and the quirks of life in the Euro-bubble">Charlemagne<span class="description"> | European politics</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica" title="Thoughts and opinions on America’s kinetic brand of politics. The blog is named after Alexis de Tocqueville’s study of American politics and society">Democracy in America<span class="description"> | American politics</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches" title="Reporting and analysis on the economics, politics, security and culture of the eastern half of the European continent">Eastern approaches<span class="description"> | Ex-communist Europe</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/feastandfamine" title="Our correspondents consider matters relating to demography and development, including food production and public health">Feast and famine<span class="description"> | Demography and development</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange" title="Our economics correspondents consider the fluctuations in the world economy and the policies intended to produce more booms than busts">Free exchange<span class="description"> | Economics</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory" title="Reporting and analysis on the politics, economics, science and statistics of the games we play and watch">Game theory<span class="description"> | Sports</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail" title="A new chart or map every working day, interactive-data features and links to interesting sources of data around the web">Graphic detail<span class="description"> | Charts, maps and infographics</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver" title="Our correspondents inform and entertain business travellers with news and views to help them make the most of life on the road">Gulliver<span class="description"> | Business travel</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson" title="Our correspondents consider the use and abuse of languages around the world, in a blog named after the dictionary-maker Samuel Johnson">Johnson<span class="description"> | Language</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington" title="Our Lexington columnist enters America’s political fray and shares the many opinions that don't make it into his column each week">Lexington's notebook<span class="description"> | American politics</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook" title="This blog is the home of “The week ahead” video and podcast, the caption competition and other announcements from The Economist">Newsbook<span class="description"> | News analysis</span></a></li> <li class="even"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero" title="Named after the hero of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, this blog provides literary insight and cultural commentary from our correspondents">Prospero<span class="description"> | Books, arts and culture</span></a></li> <li><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate" title="Reports and analysis on the politics, economics and culture of the Middle East, in a blog named after the fruit-bearing shrub that grows throughout the region">Pomegranate<span class="description"> | The Middle East</span></a></li> <li class="even last"><a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter" title="Our Schumpeter columnist and his colleagues consider business, finance and management, in a blog named after the economist Joseph Schumpeter">Schumpeter<span class="description"> | Business and management</span></a></li> </ul></div> </div> </div><div id="block-ec_channel-products_and_events" class="block block-ec_channel"> <div class="content clearfix"> <div class="ec-product-events-block"> <div class="title">Products & events</div> <div class="byline">Stay informed today and every day</div> <div class="newsletter-links news-email"> <a href="/web/20130129050047/http://www.economist.com/newsletters">Get e-mail newsletters</a> <p>Subscribe to <em>The Economist's</em> free e-mail newsletters and alerts.</p> </div> <div class="newsletter-links news-twitter"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.twitter.com/theeconomist">Follow <em>The Economist</em> on Twitter</a> <p>Subscribe to <em>The Economist's</em> latest article postings on Twitter</p> </div> <div class="newsletter-links news-facebook"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130129050047/http://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist">Follow <em>The Economist</em> on Facebook</a> <p>See a selection of <em>The Economist's</em> articles, events, topical videos and debates on Facebook.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div><div id="block-ec_ads-bottom_right_mpu_ad" class="block block-ec_ads"> <div class="content clearfix"> <div class="ec-ads ec-ads-remove-if-empty"><p>Advertisement</p><!-- Site: Globalisation. 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