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The government has brought forward the opening of its incentive scheme for the Green Deal and relaxed planning regulations on solid wall installations in a bid to shore up the flagship retrofit programme ahead of its launch at the end of the month.

The Green Deal incentive scheme had been expected to open alongside the Green Deal on 28 January, but energy minister Greg Barker (pictured) said this week that the opening had been brought forward to Monday (14 January).

Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) officials said the decision was taken in part to bridge the gap between the end of last year鈥檚 insulation programmes on 31 December, and the start of the Green Deal at the end of the month.

Bolstering the Green Deal is a key part of 好色先生TV鈥檚 Green for Growth campaign.

Under the incentive scheme people taking up the Green Deal will be able to get up to 拢650 per measure installed in their home. There is no cap on the amount an individual household can receive. The government also moved to ease planning rules so that householders will not need planning permission to install solid wall insulation.

Planning rules state you are not allowed to extend a building past its principle front elevation without planning permission, raising concerns within the insulation industry that this could hold back installations of solid wall insulation.

But the government has now classed solid wall as an 鈥渋mprovement鈥� to the property, bringing it within the scope of permitted development.

Barker said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 really the solid wall market that is going to be most impacted by the Green Deal. From the get-go we will have a transformation in solid wall installation numbers.鈥漈he energy department has indicated the plan for a 拢25bn Severn Barrage project has 鈥渁 long way to go鈥� before it could be considered for government backing.

The developer of the proposed barrage Hafren Power, which would generate up to 5% of the UK鈥檚 electricity, will need government support to get a Hybrid Bill passed before the project can proceed.

Last week, the plans for the barrage were scrutinized by MPs on the Energy and Climate Change Committee, with Peter Hain, MP, an outspoken championed of the scheme, saying Hafren Power would be willing to agree a guaranteed price for its electricity well below the 拢170 per MWh that it estimates it will cost to produce the power.

Offshore wind power currently costs around 拢140 MWh.

Hain said: 鈥淭hey are not asking for anything more than offshore wind gets and the cost will be significantly less because of the [tidal surge] protection it brings to the nation.鈥�

But Tim Yeo, the Conservative chair of the committee, said he had 鈥渟erious concerns鈥� over the economic viability of a proposed barrage: 鈥淗ow are they going to reconcile that for the 30-years before it [the electricity] becomes much cheaper?

鈥淚 think there are some pretty serious concerns on the financial side.鈥�

A Department of Energy and Climate Change said: 鈥淪o far, we have only seen a very draft and high level outline business case from Hafren Power.

鈥淓ven if this proposal can meet our criteria it has a long way to go in development.鈥�