The Green Deal Finance Company (TGDFC) has expanded its membership with the addition of two councils and one housing association.

Gentoo and the Newcastle and Norfolk City Councils have now joined the organisation, which aims to pass low interest rates through to households and repay Green Deal providers for completed retrofit works, reports 24Dash.

Earlier this month, the government announced that £3.5 million of funding will be introduced to help provide sustainability training ahead of the Green Deal's launch, with energy and climate change secretary Edward Davey hoping that the money will help to prepare firms for the initiative.

Martin Callaghan, newly appointed chairman of TGDFC, told the news provider: "The success of The Green Deal Finance Company Limited will be a fundamental building block in the overall success of the Green Deal programme."

Mr Callaghan underlined that, by minimising the cost of finance to all approved Green Deal providers in the future, the TGDFC will develop a competitive market.