Mixed bag as new year draws near

The above are, of course, in addition to the daily trials and tribulations that everyone in business has to cope with. Where the Feed-in Tariff in particular is concerned, however, many installers and contractors are concerned at the impact the reductions will have on their companies.

While some will consider the £2 million written off by Mears earlier this month for setting up its cancelled solar division is affordable for an organisation of its size, it is nevertheless an ominous development that will be repeated by others in the future.

The £200m of extra funding for the Green Deal announced by the government last week is welcomed, but there is widespread criticism of the lack of detail on this and a number of other areas, including the Renewable Heat Incentive. Many are questioning whether the cuts to FiT will be repeated elsewhere next year.

The government’s new housing strategy represents a more positive response. With guaranteed mortgages available from March 2012, the housing market  is expected to show considerable growth next year. If the government could just introduce a law that all house sales should include an upgrade to the heating and ventilation system, this would make a great Christmas present to the HVAC sector!