New incentive set to boost EWI industry

In welcome news for the EWI industry, DECC has announced a new Green Deal Home improvement Fund (GDHIF), offering consumers up to £6,000 for installing external wall insulation. Commenting on the announcement, Wetherby Building Systems’ Sales Director, Paul Kirby said: “Finally the government has listened to the industry and made steps to improve the Green Deal incentive scheme. It is encouraging news for the EWI industry, which has suffered heavily in the wake of the government’s cuts to the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme. “The EWI industry was geared up for a massive surge in installations following the launch of the Green Deal scheme last January, which never came. Hopefully this is the kick start that the industry needed and we can now start to make some real headway in improving the energy efficiency of the 7m solid wall properties in the UK. “While this is a positive move, I have to stress that it is still not enough. Hopefully the government will now also listen to the industry in regard to the ECO Consultation and increase the minimum level of EWI installations to ensure more people can benefit from more energy efficient homes.”