A number of articles in Building have highlighted the myriad problems with the proposed structure of the government's flagship energy scheme the Green Deal, referring to "a system of byzantine complexity" From a legal perspective there's also a host of difficulties that could arise. The Energy Act has laid the foundations for the delivery of carbon reduction measures through the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO). These will sit alongside other measures such as the roll-out of smart meters, extension of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to domestic properties and amendments to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regime. While the central tenet will be for energy savings to outweigh the cost of installing any measures (the "golden rule! no guarantee will be provided. The rationale is to encourage behavioural change, but taking out a loan with repayments directly linked to lifestyle choices may be a step too far for most people and possibly for some businesses too. However, leaving aside the issue of whether people will engage with the scheme - apathy has been rife in trial schemes - there are potential legal and practical barriers.
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