The 25-year 'green deal' loans that could prevent you selling your house Debts are attached to the homes rather than the families who take them out Experts fears they will deter people from buying property saddled with debt So far only 152 have joined the scheme since it was launched in January A flagship policy to help families cut their energy bills is struggling due to fears it could hamper houseowners selling their homes, it was claimed yesterday. Ministers want millions of people to take out "Green Deal" loans in order to pay for loft insulation, double glazing, boilers and other measures with the aim of cutting a typical family's energy costs by as much as £50 a month. The loans would be repaid over a period of up to 25 years, but the debt is attached to the home rather than the family who take it out, which means it is supposed to be passed on to any new buyer. Energy conservation: Ministers want millions of people to take out 'Green Deal' loans in order to pay for loft insulation, double glazing, new boilers and other measures, but the debts could slow the housing market Experts fear that many people will refuse to buy a property saddled with a long-term loan. As a result, sellers could face demands to clear any outstanding debt, which could also land them with an early repayment penalty charge of up to £6,000. The Green Deal was launched in January with ministers predicting that 10,000 homes would have energy-saving improvements carried out by the end of the year. In fact, while 58,124 households have had assessments to see what energy-efficiency measures could be installed, only 132 have signed up. Steve Playle, who has led consultation on the Green Deal for the nation's trading standards officers, said: "The take-up has been appalling low. I don't think consumers are prepared to sign a contract for ten or 15 years to pay for a bit of central heating or insulation work. Not some flash in the pan: Energy minister Greg Barker defended the scheme, which includes £200million in cashback incentives to early adopters The difficulty that people will have in selling their home is one of my main concerns. If a buyer goes along to someone's house and there is an eight-year Green Deal plan on it, which means you have to pay £50 a month on it for the next eight years, he is going to want that paid off before he considers going ahead. The idea that this loan is going to be transportable between buyer and seller is perhaps a bit naive. Would I buy a Green Deal plan? I don't think I would, no. Mr Playle said there are also problems with the initial home assessments, with concerns over charges and the expertise of the assessors. Some firms have set themselves up as Green Deal brokers, where they take a fee of up to £300 to arrange a home assessment. They then pass the job on to a reputable firm which would normally charge £120 to £150 and then pocket the difference. Mr Playle said: "I have also have a worry about the calibre of the people doing the assessments. I have seen a case in Surrey where four assessors have come up with different results on the same property. The Government has allowed firms who want to offer Green Deal assessments and home improvements to "cold call" people at home in order to try and boost take-up. This has triggered a surge in unwanted nuisance calls. Complaints about these related to energy efficiency now rank only second to PPI, according to the Information Commissioners Office. Two companies have been fined a total of £170,000 in relation to cold calls about energy efficiency. These include one run by "Big Nev" Wilshire, who features in the BBC reality programme, the Call Centre. Energy minister Greg Barker said: "This is a 20-year programme we are rolling out here. It is not one of these flash-in-the-pan schemes. The Government is putting in more than £200million to fund cash-back incentives to the first families who sign up to the scheme.