Green deal scheme did not deliver energy savings, audit finds

Only 1% of households took out loans under now abandoned scheme, which auditors say failed to deliver 'meaningful benefit'

An abandoned government programme to insulate UK homes cost taxpayers nearly 400m and did not deliver energy or carbon savings, a report by official auditors has found.

The green deal scheme was launched in January 2013 with the intention of handing out loans to improve domestic energy efficiency. It folded in July 2015 despite claims by David Cameron that his would be "the greenest government ever".