Low carbon marketing firm highlights commercial Green Deal issues

The British Council for Shopping Centres (BCSC) has told the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee that the Green Deal is not fit for purpose for the commercial property sector.

The retail property trade body has voiced its concerns about the Green Deal as an effective funding vehicle to help the sector meet the deadline for Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). This states that from 2018 it will be illegal to let any property with an energy performance rating below E.

The BCSC feels that the majority of the government’s focus has been on the residential Green Deal, leading to an inadequate commercial version of the retrofitting finance scheme. Content Communications, a green-tech marketing specialist, says that more attention needs to be paid to the sector’s unique requirements.

Joanna Watchman, Managing Director of the B2B industry PR firm, says: “Our expertise as an energy marketing expert has demonstrated how much potential the Green Deal has to enable retailers and other businesses to install energy- and cost-saving retrofits.”

She adds: “But, as the sustainability manager of the BCSC notes, it needs to be ‘geared up’ for the commercial sector – taking into account business operations and market drivers. This is only becoming more vital as energy prices continue to rise and we continue through the second carbon budget period.”