Green Homes Grant - what is it?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak recently announced the £2 Billion Green Homes Grant to improve the efficiency of British homes. 600,000 homes across England are set to benefit from this scheme, the homeowners or landlords who take advantage of the initiative will receive grants to improve the thermal performance and energy efficiency of their homes.

Homeowners or Landlords will be able to claim for vouchers worth up to £5,000 or £10,000 for low income households. Landlords are not eligible for the low income vouchers.
 

What improvements can be made?

The government have set out a list of improvements that can be made to homes to qualify for the scheme. For example, a primary improvement could be to install a solid wall insulation system to reduce heat loss or convert an old less efficient boiler to a biomass boiler to reduce the carbon dioxide a home produces.

Secondary home improvements are also covered by the scheme for example if a home has got single glazed windows under the scheme they could be eligible for double glazing or triple glazing. The scheme also covers such things like smart heating controls to optimise boiler performance.

One important detail is that the vouchers must be used to install at least one of the primary measures, the vouchers can then be used to cover a secondary measure as well up to the value of the primary measures.

How much will the voucher cover?

If you are eligible for the £5,000 voucher then the vouchers will not cover 100% of the improvements made, they are capped at two thirds of the home improvement measures.

So, if the cost of your improvements came to £7,000 then £4,666 could be claimed back with the voucher resulting in the total cost to the homeowner or landlord £2,334 for a total of £7,000 worth of improvements that will make a home more energy efficient which then leads on to greater savings in the long term.

However, if you or someone in your household are on certain benefits then you may be eligible for the £10,000 voucher – in this instance 100% of the costs of the improvements will be covered by the scheme.

The voucher will have to be paid to the tradesperson installing the improvements who will then receive payment from the government.

Is my home eligible?

To find out if you are eligible for Green Homes Grant vouchers and what measures are recommended for your home, take the home improvement questionnaire through the Simple Energy Advice.

What’s next?

1. Once you have picked the energy saving measure, download your plan from Simple Energy Advice and then find a certified installer in your local area here
2. Once you have your quote, visit gov.uk from the end of September to upload your quote and apply for your vouchers
3. Once the application is approved you can book in the tradesperson to carry out

For more information visit:

Simple Energy Advice

GOV.UK 

What measures are available on the scheme?

The vouchers must be used for one primary measure before being used to install a secondary measure. To find out what is going to have the biggest impact on your home, you should seek advice from an accredited Tradesperson.

Primary measures

Insulation measures

• solid wall
• under floor
• cavity wall
• loft
• flat roof
• room in roof
• insulating a park home

Low carbon heat measures

• air or ground source heat pump
• solar thermal (liquid filled flat plate or evacuated tube collectors)
• biomass boilers

​​​​​​​Secondary measures

Windows and doors

• draught proofing
• double/triple glazing (when replacing single glazing)
• secondary glazing
• replacement door (replacing door installed before 2002)

Heating controls and insulation

• hot water tank thermostats
• hot water tank insulation
• heating controls (e.g. smart heating controls)

Tradesperson – How can I benefit from the Green Homes Grant?

To install work for customers that are using the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme you must be MCS or PAS 2030: 2019 registered. You must also be trust marked registered.

Upon becoming registered your details will appear on the Simple Energy Advices list of accredited installers, and from there that’s where customers using the scheme will reach out to tradespeople to carry out the improvements.

At Gibbs & Dandy we are on hand to help, and can help you through the process to get the necessary accreditations and trustmark.

Start the process with us today by e-mailing buildaviatorenquiries@gibbsanddandy.com today and we can walk you through the steps to become accredited.