Stiebel Eltron UK's technical director has called for a single independent body to provide impartial advice on renewable energy technologies and greater inclusion of renewable heating products in the domestic Green Deal package.
The company urged the Government to consider these issues when Charles Hendry, Minister for Energy and Climate Change, went to Merseyside to meet with renewable energy companies to discuss the region's potential as a green energy hub.
Stiebel Eltron UK technical director John Felgate said: 'As it stands, there is no single organisation to offer advice without a hidden agenda and we feel that it would benefit consumers hugely. It can be a confusing market place and there are a wide range of technologies such as heat pumps, solar and biomass, all with different benefits.
'The Energy Saving Trust is no longer independent so it would have to be a Government-funded body - Mr Hendry warned us, however, that at the moment this is not on the radar.'
He added that including renewable heat technologies in the Green Deal would encourage a higher take up, as consumers could pay the cost back over several years instead of via an upfront lump sum. Mr Felgate called on Mr Hendry and DECC to look into the viability of putting a long term payback plan in place for the introduction of the Green Deal and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) in October 2012.
He said: 'Under the Green Deal consumers will be able to make their property more energy efficient and pay costs back through instalments in their energy bill. However when the RHI comes out consumers will still have to fork out a large sum upfront for renewable heating technology - something many are unable to do.
'Property owners should be able to take advantage of heat pumps, for example, and pay back the costs through their energy bill savings. At the moment there is nothing to help people with that. We are working with DECC to present evidence that heat pumps should be included in the Green Deal and are hopeful that they can come up with a viable solution as it is a problem that needs to be solved.'
