Neil Williams
The new Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme could contribute up to £5,000 towards measures to make your home more energy-efficient – but you need to apply fast before the funding runs out, says Neil Williams.
This month, the government introduced a new grant to boost carbon-saving measures – the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme. This will end on 31st March 2021 or whenever the money runs out! Local contractors are already getting lots of enquiries so it will pay to act fast.
The intention of the voucher scheme is to encourage take-up of expensive measures such as heat pumps (see my article on heating your home using air-source heat pumps here) and solid wall and floor insulation. The grant has a maximum of £5,000 and meets up to two-thirds of the cost. These three websites give more detail:
- https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/home-insulation/green-homes-grant-scheme
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/906544/ghg-additional-information.pdf
- https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/pages/green-homes-grant
In the case of heat pumps, this is a great opportunity as you can get £5,000 of the cost up front plus an extra grant via the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) over seven years. In practice, you won’t get more overall than you would have had under RHI alone, but you will get £5,000 up front.
To help choose the best carbon-saving measures the Energy Saving Trust have produced this graphic:
Only approved contractors (i.e. For heat pumps, those holding an MCS certification, and for insulation, those who are Trustmark-registered) can access this grant, but virtually all reputable companies already meet these criteria. When you ask for quotes they will explain the application process.
Local heat pump contractors include:
Lewes: DH Solar in Lewes
Haywards Heath: BSW
Shoreham: A Greener Alternative
There will be other good ones out there if you search and ask around.
We live in a residential park for mobile homes council has insulated the outside but would like info on new windows or floor heating please
We also have mains gas