The major idea underlying the Green Deal is the “pay as you save” principle, whereby a homeowner gets renovation works performed by a contractor, and then pays the costs according to the amount saved on its energy bill. Pilot programs took place from the 2008 up until mid-2011. When the Pay As You Save (PAYS) pilot ended, the government implemented the “Green Deal”, introducing various new measures: the “Golden Rule” (whereby repayments must not exceed energy savings), financing linked to the energy bill, obligation for the energy suppliers to adapt their billing system to collect repayments, and introduction of the “Energy Company Obligation” (ECO).
