According to a survey by the National Landlords Association, two thirds of private landlords in the UK are thinking about taking advantage of the Green Deal scheme to improve their properties. The deal enables landlords to obtain loans to make improvements to their properties energy efficiency, and includes improvements such as loft and wall insulation. The loans are repaid through utility bills, and should result in lower energy bills. According to the survey nearly a quarter of landlords intend to take advantage of the Green Deal, while another 38% are considering it. However 21% are unsure about its effectiveness, and another 17% have no interest in the deal.

Those who are considering taking up this government offer are doing so in the hope of reducing energy consumption and costs for their tenants and to add value to their property by making it more eco-friendly. Their tenants are guaranteed lower utility bills under the scheme, and should benefit from warmer homes as well. Landlords benefit in the longer term due through the improvements on their properties. The grants don't become available until next year, and it remains to be seen what the true costs of these home improvements will be, but it is encouraging to see large numbers of private landlords are at least considering this scheme.

In the meantime a coalition of 26 organisations which include the World Wildlife Fund and the UK Green Building Council, are calling for the government to cut the VAT on the Green Deal from 20% to 5% to encourage people to take up this offer. Now that's a really good idea!