- Prime Minister announces the Green Homes Grant will continue until the end of March 2022
- extension to the £2 billion scheme will help more households and tradespeople benefit, as Britain builds back greener from coronavirus
- energy efficiency scheme will create new work for accredited tradespeople in green construction, supporting 100,000 jobs across the UK
Homeowners across England will have until the end of March 2022 to have energy efficiency upgrades to their homes completed through the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme, helping up to 600,000 households save up to £600 on their energy bills.
The scheme funds up to 2 thirds of the cost of green home improvements up to £5,000, or 100% of the cost for homeowners on low incomes, up to £10,000. Measures covered include insulation of walls, floors and roofs, double or triple glazing when replacing single glazing, and low-carbon heating like heat pumps.
The Prime Minister announced the extension of both the Green Homes Grant and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in his 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, designed to help the country build back greener and help reach the UK’s key target for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
£1 billion will be available next year into making new and existing homes and public buildings more efficient, including through the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Minister for Climate Change Lord Callanan said:
The Green Homes Grant scheme gives homeowners and landlords right across the country a cheaper way to make their homes more energy efficient and cut their bills – all while making their contribution to tackling climate change.
Today’s announcement means an extra year to take advantage of this new scheme, helping households and tradespeople who can plan their workload and create new jobs in their communities. I would urge anyone to visit the Green Homes Grants website and see how they could benefit.
As part of his ambitious green recovery plan, Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced funding for the drive to make homes, and public buildings like schools and hospitals more energy efficient, would continue until the end of the next financial year.
People have been able to apply for vouchers through the Green Homes Grant Scheme since September this year. Although restrictions are in place to help tackle the spread of coronavirus, government guidance is clear that homeowners can still have work done as long as installers follow the COVID-secure guidance.
Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, Brian Berry, said:
The extension of the Green Homes Grant for another year is very positive news, and shows that builders’ concerns have been listened to. This will give the reassurance needed to the building industry to invest in the scheme. Our existing homes contribute 20% of all our carbon emissions and consume 35% of our energy.
Chief Executive of TrustMark, Simon Ayers, said:
Consumer confidence is not only essential to the recovery of the UK’s economy, but also to the protection and creation of key jobs that will support the long-term delivery of quality green home improvements.
We urge any tradespeople who want to be a part of the Green Homes Grant scheme to apply for TrustMark registration and Microgeneration Certification Scheme or Publicly Accessible Standards certification as soon as possible.
Notes to editors
1. Find out more about the Green Homes Grant.
2. The PM’s extension for the Green Homes Grant is until the end of March 2022 for the £1.5 billion voucher element, and until the end of December 2021 for the £500 million Local Authority Delivery element.
3. Green Homes Grant vouchers will remain valid for 3 months from the date they are issued or until 31 March 2022, whichever is earlier, and need to be redeemed before the end date on each one. Homeowners can request an extension for circumstances outside of their control.
4. Through the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme, which opened in September 2020, homeowners (both freehold and leasehold owner occupiers), and landlords can apply for vouchers of up to £5,000 towards the cost of installing energy efficient and low-carbon heating improvements in their homes. Some homeowners on income-based or disability benefits may be eligible for vouchers covering the full cost of improvement, up to a value of £10,000.
5. There are 2 elements to the scheme, a voucher scheme available to all homeowners and domestic landlords and a Local Authority Delivery scheme, through which funding will be allocated to local authorities to support low-income, fuel poor households. The first phase of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme launched on 4 August 2020, with the bidding window for local authorities to submit funding proposals.
6. Vouchers will help more than 600,000 households across England to save up to £600 a year on energy bills. Together the 2 elements of the scheme are supporting 100,000 jobs in green construction and helping the UK to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
7. Tradespeople need to be TrustMark registered and have Microgeneration Certification Scheme or Publicly Accessible Standards certification to carry out these home improvements as part of the scheme. This will assure homeowners that tradespeople have been thoroughly vetted and meet the required standards of good customer service, technical competence and good trading practices.
8. The PM also announced that the Energy Company Obligation will be extended from 2022 to 2026 and underlined the government’s commitment to upgrading the worst off-grid homes occupied by low income and vulnerable households through the introduction of the Home Upgrade Grant.
