Green Homes Grant Extension

by | Dec 16, 2020

This summer the Green Homes Grant scheme was announced by the Chancellor that homeowners would be given the opportunity to claim vouchers up to the value of £5,000 to use for energy-saving improvements to their homes, with £10,000 being available to lower-income households. As part of this Green Homes Grant scheme, eligible owners will be able to use these vouchers to fund environmentally-friendly improvements to their houses.

However, when it was announced it was due to end in March 2021, causing many landlords to call for an extension to the scheme because of fears that projects wouldn’t be completed in time. This was due to many Trustmark-registered builders being booked in advance for other work and having no availability to help with these new home improvement projects at short notice.

Last month, homeowners received the good news that the Green Homes Grant will be extended until March 2022 giving them extra time to complete their projects, bringing relief to many who hoped to apply for the grant. But what is the Green Homes Grant?

Going into a bit more detail, the aim of the scheme is to allow homeowners to complete improvements to their homes that will help them be more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. In turn, these improvements can help the bill payers to save up to £600 a year.

The grant involves the Government providing a voucher that will fund up to two-thirds of the overall cost of qualifying improvements, with a maximum value being £5,000. If you are a homeowner and a member of your household receives a qualifying benefit, you could be eligible for a voucher that would cover 100% of the total cost, up to the value of £10,000. It is important to note that although landlords are free to take part in this scheme, they won’t be able to apply for the low-income part.

Vouchers have to be used to install at least one improvement that involves primary home insulation or low carbon heating. If you choose at least one primary measure, your voucher can be used to help cover the cost of secondary measures. The improvements that you can use your voucher for include:

Primary

  • Insulation: Solid wall, cavity wall, under-floor insulation, loft, and roof and more.
  • Low-Carbon Heat: Air source heat pump, ground source heat pump, solar thermal, biomass, boilers.

Secondary:

  • Windows: Draught proofing, double/triple glazing, secondary glazing, energy-efficient replacement doors.
  • Heating Controls & Insulation: Hot water tank thermostats, hot water tank insulation, heating controls.

To find out if you are eligible for the Green Homes Grant, you can use this handy tool from Simple Energy Advice, a government-endorsed service.

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