It’s an understatement to claim that the national Green Deal and ECO policy has had a disappointing start.

Incentive packages such as ECO and Home Improvement Fund (HIF) have grown, shrunk and disappeared almost simultaneously and take up of the Green Deal Loan itself has been lamentable. Confidence in the market is not likely to return before the general election and it is therefore to local public/ private partnerships that the coalition government is placing its faith, particularly through the Green Deal Communities fund.

Greater Manchester, through its climate change strategy, is committed to 48% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020; a target which latest projections indicate we may fall short on. Over 36% of carbon emissions in GM emanate from our 1.2 million homes; 80%; of which will still be around in 2050.

Hundreds of thousands of GM households are struggling with rising fuel bills; not just those on the lowest income

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of GM households are struggling with rising fuel bills; not just those on the lowest incomes. So whilst we do need to improve the evidence base, there is little doubt that there are very strong economic, social, and environmental benefits from programmes that improve the energy efficiency of our homes, over and above normal levels of market activity.

The GM Housing Retrofit Strategy originally drafted in 2012, concluded that from a current average of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) D, 90% of GM homes must reach EPC B by 2035 if GM’s carbon reduction targets are to be achieved. A shift such as this cannot be left to left to the market or a ‘business as usual’ approach. The £6.1M Green Deal Communities allocation provides an opportunity for GM to maintain momentum to the end of March 2014.

Greater Manchester Energy Advice Service (GMEAS) acts as an interface between the ten GM local authorities and GM households; our potential customers. Greater Manchester Energy Advice (GMEA) co-ordinates bids for external funding, and over the last three years has attracted over £12M as match funding, leveraging twice this amount in additional investment.

GMEA also takes on the role of new business development; for example, the ‘Get Me Toasty campaign’ delivered 25,000 energy efficiency measures between 2011 and 2013. A unique collaboration between local authorities, private sector partners, academia and 3rd sector organisations has produced a number of research reports over the last five years such as the 2012 ‘missing quarter’ behaviour change report.

On 24th September 2014 the GM Retrofit Innovation Network chaired by Dr Will Swan, was formally launched, bringing together experts in community engagement, retrofit design and supply chain development, to support both top-down and bottom-up approaches to housing retrofit in GM.

In December 2012, GM local authorities agreed to create a public private delivery partnership, to drive the Green Deal/ domestic energy efficiency market in GM. In June 2014 we launched a new Greater Manchester Housing Retrofit Framework with our three Delivery partners Keepmoat, Wates and Willmott Dixon.

There’s no doubt we are having to work harder to engage and persuade GM customers to install energy measures, even in our subsidised Green Deal Communities areas.

There’s no doubt we are having to work harder to engage and persuade GM customers to install energy measures, even in our subsidised Green Deal Communities areas. Marketing and branding messages are key, as is our understanding of the market, our customers and the complex customer journey involved in retrofitting homes.

The new ‘Little Bill’ campaign (a cheeky sausage dog character allowing Mr Toast to take his well deserved retirement) is cranking up as we finally enter the heating system for Autumn/winter 2014. Customer segmentation gives us a better understanding of how to attract and retain the interest of different types of household. Within the last few days, the GMEAS website has been overhauled to allow improved customer journey for those who prefer digital transactions, rather than our phone based advice line.

Green Deal communities funding has given GM the opportunity to create up to 30 low carbon ‘demonstration homes’ across the conurbation. Up to £12,000 is available to homeowners in ‘Green Deal Communities’ areas* who agree to installation of energy efficiency measures in their home, to act as community champions and to hold a number of ‘open days’.

Visit the GMEA website and click ‘’create your Little Bill offer’ to find out more.

You can also call us on 0800 009 3363, send us an email or follow us on Twitter @AskLittleBill

*Pilot areas selected by local authorities to take part in DECC Green Deal Communities scheme.

Main image from Flickr user Alex Pepperhill published here under a Creative Commons Licence.