Small firms to see little benefit from Green Deal: FSB

On Friday 28 September the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) published a report claiming that small firms are less likely to see benefits from the government's new energy efficiency policy, the Green Deal. The report, Making Sense of Going Green, looked at 12 environmental policies set to impact small businesses and noted that small businesses face longer payback periods than households on Green Deal loans. The FSB argued that the reform of the electricity market is likely to increase the cost of energy for small business by 34%. The organisation calls on the government to use Green Investment Bank finance to guarantee low levels of interest rates to encourage take-up of the initiative. National chairman John Walker said the scheme's potential risked being "lost" unless it was made more attractive to small businesses.
FSB