Scotland's first small "Green Deal" provider has said it expects to double its workforce when the energy-saving scheme arrives.
Glasgow-based PV Solar created Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Systems (Helms) to benefit from the new incentives for energy efficiency. Founder Doug Wilkie says he hopes to increase the workforce of 150 to about 300 in response to Green Deal.
The scheme allows homes or businesses to pay for energy-saving improvements through savings on their fuel bills, rather than upfront, and will include 45 different measures.
Mr Wilkie said sales at PV Solar, the UK's biggest supplier of domestic solar energy systems, had slipped from £37 million to £26m last year, following the cutting of feed-in tariff incentives for solar panel installation, but Green Deal could help to revive demand.
Helms, which has also set up two further installation companies, is accredited alongside the likes of major players British Gas, SSE, Wolseley and Kingfisher as a provider for the scheme, which also requires installers and advisers.
One adviser, Firstcall Home Assist, said last week it had won 500 domestic and business assessments for the scheme, which would boost turnover by £3m and create 20 new jobs.
Mr Wilkie said providers were the only gatekeepers of the funding and were ultimately responsible for the lifetime of the installations. He said domestic assessments were at present of questionable value as the Green Deal agreement was not yet in place.
The scheme, due to launch last October, has been put back three times, most recently until May. Mr Wilkie added: "We will be asking [Energy Secretary Ed Davey] for clarification."
The main attraction of the scheme was the lack of an upfront charge for energy-saving measures, Mr Wilkie said, while the Green Deal's "golden rule" meant any measure must pay for itself over its lifetime, which should prevent overcharging.
Mr Davey said he believed the Green Deal would enable SMEs to enter the energy efficiency market.
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