Inspiring, green and innovative: why I came away impressed by RegenSW’s Renewable Energy Marketplace
What do an electric four-wheel vehicle you can peddle, unobtrusive secondary glazing and a bit of brass piping that makes it less expensive to run a combi boiler have in common? They all originate from the southwest and they were all being showcased at RegenSW’s Renewable Energy Marketplace (REM) this week. Attending the show at Exeter’s Westpoint not only made a refreshing change to London for me (my last show was Ecobuild at the Excel),... Read More
Why the Green Deal Golden Rule is not the only rule for home retrofit
The Green Deal scheme is a no-brainer I’m a huge fan of the Green Deal scheme, in particular its potential as a catalyst to update the energy efficiency of the UK’s aged housing stock. That’s a no brainer to me, and the scheme, if managed and policed correctly, will potentially have more of an impact than any other action of its kind to push us to hit our 2050 UK carbon emissions reductions targets. However, the scheme has its limitations which... Read More
Ecobuild and the the future of the Green Deal
What tangible results to date for the Green Deal What tangible results to date for the Green Deal? Politicians are masters of communication, and Ed Davey @EdwardDaveyMP, the UK energy and climate change secretary, speaking at Ecobuild, provided few tangible results for the Green Deal scheme to date, preferring instead to cite “legal reasons” for not disclosing the number of households that have so far asked for assessments or applied... Read More
An Expert’s Guide To Marketing The Green Deal
Awareness of the Green Deal is growing among the UK public , but the vast majority of households have not yet twigged that energy efficiency is the best way to insulate themselves against a rising tide of energy bills. The Green Deal might be a great start in changing this perception, but more work is needed to help Green Deal prospects understand the benefits of energy efficiency in keeping their bills under control. To help Green Deal Installers,... Read More
How to plan for more effective Green Deal marketing
Marketing advice for green deal installers and providers. The good and the bad news In January a YouGov poll commissioned by uSwitch of more than 5000 energy customers found that 19 per cent of respondents were aware of the Green Deal, and 81 per cent had not even heard of the scheme. The same survey, however, showed that 67 per cent of the respondents were interested in a scheme that helps them reduce their energy bills. Furthermore, on the day... Read More
A compelling success story to demystify social media
Few executives understand how social media drives sales. According to McKinsey Quarterly ‘s most read article of 2012 ”most executives know what social media is… but very few of them have a deep understanding of exactly how social media interacts with consumers to expand product and brand recognition, drive sales and profitability, and engender loyalty.” The biggest challenge with social media This echoes our own observations... Read More
Business Sustainability: Is The Game Worth The Candle?
Sustainable Brands Need To Tell Compelling Stories Is sustainability worth the candle? That’s a question that is frequently on the minds of UK SMEs, and a principle reason for which business owners and managers consult our pages. The guidance we provide in answer to that question is inspired by a visit to Sustainable Brands London, a conference for corporate professionals who seek to find ways to reduce the impact their businesses are having... Read More
Corporate blogging and why every green business needs a blog
Do you think of your business blog as merely a ‘nice-to-have’ marketing tool, which, if only you had more time, you would write more content for? If so, you wouldn’t be the only green business to underestimate the power of corporate blogging. Our research shows that many green businesses, especially SMEs, that could most profit from content marketing, perceive a corporate blog as a softer, non-essential marketing tool, useful for welcoming... Read More
How can we ensure SMEs don’t miss out on Green Deal opportunities?
The Green Deal presents many opportunities to make our buildings more energy efficient, to create jobs and drive growth in the economy. But many barriers still remain to its successful delivery. A number of these surround the role of the SME, which I am exploring in a series of blogs. Let’s be clear from the start, the Green Deal is a market framework within which any company can exist should it choose to. The question I am addressing here is would... Read More
The Green Deal: why it needs a strong quotient of smaller companies
The Green Deal simply has to work. There is nothing else on the table to tackle the two key barriers to mass retrofit: the long ‘payback’ period of many energy saving measures, and the lack of up-front cash available to pay for the work. Under the Green Deal, there is to be only one statutory contractual relationship and that will be between the client (homeowner or tenant) and a Green Deal Provider (GDP). This will have to be a large corporation,... Read More
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