Green Home Grants

The Government has confirmed rules for a September launch of the £2billion scheme. Green Home Grants CONTINUED OVER THE PAGE

In August the government called on tradespeople to sign up to the TrustMark accreditation scheme ahead of the launch in September of the £2bn Green Homes Grant scheme, which aims to stimulate a wave of demand for energy efficiency upgrades across the UK.

Providing an update on the plans for the scheme, which was unveiled as part of the Chancellor’s summer economic update in July, the government confirmed the grant programme is scheduled to go live towards the end of September.

Under the scheme, the government is to provide two thirds of the cost of home improvements with grants capped at £5,000. Meanwhile, low income households will qualify for grants worth up to £10,000 to support energy efficiency upgrades.

The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) today said the scheme is expected to deliver improvements for over 600,000 households, while creating an estimated 100,000 jobs in green construction. In a bid to assuage concerns over ‘cowboy builders’ taking advantage of the scheme, BEIS confirmed tradespeople must register for TrustMark or MCS accreditation to take part in the scheme.

“Green home improvements will save people money on their energy bills, help to cut carbon emissions, and create new work for many thousands of builders, plumbers and other tradespeople,” said Business Secretary Alok Sharma. “Our TrustMark scheme will guarantee that building work is completed to a high standard by accredited tradespeople, ensuring consumers are fully protected.”

The government today also announced which upgrades and technologies will qualify for the grant scheme, confirming Green Homes Grant vouchers will be available for homeowners and landlords who install solid wall, underfloor, cavity wall or roof insulation; air source or ground source heat pumps; and/or solar thermal systems.

In addition, households can use vouchers to cover up to two thirds of the cost of double or triple glazing/secondary glazing, when

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replacing single glazing; energy efficient doors; and hot water system thermostats and heating controls.

Homeowners across England will be able to access advice and support on how to improve the energy efficiency of their homes from the Simple Energy Advice (SEA) service, which will provide advice on appropriate improvements and whether they qualify for funding.

The government said upgrades could save households hundreds of pounds a year on their energy bills, while also slashing carbon emissions.

Mike Thornton, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, hailed the grant scheme as “a significant investment by the government in energy efficiency which will provide long term benefits to householders and the environment by cutting fuel bills and reducing carbon emissions”.

“It will particularly help low-income households access much-needed funds to make their homes warmer,” he added. “I would really encourage homeowners to apply for the scheme.”

Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said the scheme offered “a really welcome boost for the building industry as it recovers from the impact of COVID-19”.

“The vouchers will be a significant benefit to households wanting to make their homes more energy efficient and reduce their energy bills, whilst providing much needed work for accredited installers at this difficult time,” he added.

The scheme has been broadly welcomed by green groups and trade bodies. However, concerns remain over how quickly the promised £2bn will be assigned, given the budget for similar previous grant schemes were exhausted within weeks. The government is also continuing to face long-standing questions over when it will provide clarity on its longer term building energy efficiency programmes, with the current grants only expected to last until early next year.

Meanwhile, the glazing industry in particular will be disappointed that the focus on only supporting installations where single glazing is replaced will minimise its involvement in the scheme.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the new scheme represented “a vital part of our plan for jobs as we secure the UK’s economic recovery from Coronavirus”.

“This is going to be a green recovery with concern for our environment at its heart,” he added. “It will help to protect and create jobs, while also saving people money and cutting carbon.” n www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk www.trustmark.org.uk www.mcscertified.com