Solar panels-pv - I want to take out the Green Deal

If you are interested in the Green Deal you will need to have a Green Deal assessment completed and then you can choose a company to undertake the works.

There are 45 measures or areas of home improvement approved to receive funding under the Green Deal, covering:

• insulation

• heating and hot water

• glazing

• microgeneration (generating your own energy).

If you're interested in a Green Deal loan you will first need to arrange a visit from an assessor accredited with the Green Deal Quality Mark. All companies involved in the Green Deal must bear this mark and comply with a code of practice.

You can get quotes from as many providers as you like - you don’t have to choose all, or any, of their recommendations.

• use standardised software to identify what energy efficiency or microgeneration improvements you could make and what the financial savings would be

• outline how the payments work

• ensure that the improvements identified meet the Golden Rule: the payments made for the improvements cannot be higher than the estimated energy bill savings they will make

• declare any commission they may receive for carrying out the assessment and any links to Green Deal Providers.

Once the Green Deal Advisor has carried out the assessment, they should outline a range of packages available from Green Deal Providers to fund the improvements. If you decide to take up a Green Deal offer you will then sign a Green Deal Plan, which is a contract between you and the Green Deal Provider.

It is the Green Deal Provider’s role to arrange for a Green Deal installer to come and carry out the work you have agreed to. The installer should have been vetted to ensure they meet the standards set out for the Green Deal.

If you’re on benefits, a low income or live in an old property, you may be able to get help with costs. You can contact the Energy Saving Advice Service to find out your entitlements.

The Green Deal Cashback Scheme is a first-come, first-served offer where householders can claim cashback from the Government on energy saving improvements like insulation, front doors, windows and boilers. Packages could be worth over £1000 - the more you do, the more you get. It is available from 28 January 2013 for households in England and Wales.

The scheme is open to any householder including owner-occupiers, those renting privately or in social housing. Landlords, both private and social, are also eligible where they pay installation costs, up to certain limits. To qualify householders will need to:

• apply online or by phone for a voucher which will be redeemed once cashback work is completed (some Providers will be able to apply on behalf of their customers)

• have a Green Deal assessment carried out on the property

• agree a quote from a Green Deal Provider

• complete works within a specified period

Providers should redeem the voucher on your behalf and your cashback payment should be received within 30 days.

Cashback payments are only available for work recommended on your Green Deal Assessment. Householders can only make one claim for the cashback, but it may cover a package of improvements recommended by the Green Deal assessment. In all cases cashback will be capped at 50% of the customer's contribution to installation costs - so people who get measures installed for free will not receive cashback, and people who only make very small contributions may see their cashback amount reduced.