GREEN HOMES GRANT UPDATE!

You will recall that in early July, the government announced the Green Homes Grant that will provide vouchers worth up to £10,000 so they can make their homes more energy-efficient.

Vouchers will be a maximum of £5,000 to cover two-thirds of the cost of improvements for those not receiving means-tested benefits and for those who qualify, vouchers will be a maximum of £10,000 to cover 100% of improvements. The maximum of £5,000 per property also applies to landlords.

We have received a lot of enquiries about eligibility for the Green Homes Grant and the government has now released some additional information about what improvements the grant will cover. You can apply for a voucher from the end of September through the gov.uk website.

Vouchers must be used to install at least one primary home insulation or low carbon heating measure and then the remainder of the voucher can be used to help cover the cost of secondary measures with the maximum subsidy capped at the value of subsidy provided for the primary measure.

Primary measures include:

Insulation:

• Solid wall

• Cavity wall

• Under-floor insulation (solid floor; suspended floor)

• Loft

• Flat roof

• Room in roof

• Park home insulation

Low carbon heat (where the home is suitably insulated):

• Air source heat pump

• Ground source heat pump

• Solar thermal

• Biomass pellet boilers·

Secondary measures include:

Windows and doors:

• Draught proofing

• Double/triple glazing (where replacing single glazing)

• Secondary glazing (in addition to single glazing)

• Energy-efficient replacement doors·

Heating controls and insulation:

• Hot water tank thermostats

• Hot water tank insulation

• Heating Controls (Smart heating controls, zone controls, intelligent delayed start thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves)·

When you apply via the Simple Energy Advice Website, they will recommend which measures may be suited to your home. Whilst you cannot apply for a voucher as yet, you can check to see if you are eligible with the tool provided here.

We think that this is a fantastic scheme and will be keeping you posted with further details as applications for vouchers open!