Following the government announcement that a new phase of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund will launch before the end of November, Paul Hardy, managing director at Baxi, said the company is cautiously optimistic, given the disappointment of the previous early closure.

“We will continue to work with government to make the scheme more accessible to installers,” he said. “They are the people visiting thousands of homes each day, and are often the first port of call for consumers exploring energy efficiency. Installers should be playing a pivotal role in any energy efficiency improvement scheme.

“The extremely complex and time consuming accreditation process puts the Green Deal and Green Deal Home Improvement Fund out of reach for smaller installer firms, and we hope to see some of our recommendations around accessibility for installers take effect. We also hope that government has improved the application process in order to regulate the demand from consumers.

“It is important to recognise that the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund is only a short-term initiative, and much more needs to be done to meet carbon reduction targets and improve energy efficiency.”