Get Ready to Apply for the Green Homes Grant Scheme

Posted on September 7th, 2020

You can apply for the voucher from the end of September. In the meantime, you can find out what improvements can be made to your home and obtain quotes from certified tradespeople.

The government will provide a voucher worth up to £5,000 or £10,000 to help cover the cost of making energy efficient improvements to your home.

Improvements could include insulating your home to reduce your energy use or installing low-carbon heating to lower the amount of carbon dioxide your home produces.

You must redeem the voucher and ensure improvements are completed by 31 March 2021.

The government will provide a voucher that covers two-thirds of the cost of qualifying energy efficiency or low carbon heating improvements to your home. The maximum value of the voucher is £5,000.

If you are on a low income and receive certain benefits, you can receive a voucher covering all of the cost of the improvements. The maximum value of the voucher is £10,000.

The installer will request and receive payment from the government for the costs covered by the voucher.

Eligibility

To apply for the voucher, you must either:

• own your home (including park home owners, long-leaseholders and shared ownership)
• be a private or social landlord

Your property must be in England to be eligible for the scheme.

Landlords cannot apply for the low-income portion of the scheme.

New-build properties that have not previously been occupied are not eligible for the scheme.

What the voucher can be used for

The available measures are split into ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ measures.

Primary measures

The voucher must be used to install at least 1 primary measure. This can be an insulation measure and/or a low carbon heating measure.

Insulation measures

The following insulation measures are covered by the voucher:

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

Low carbon heat measures

The following low carbon heating measures are covered by the voucher:

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

Further information on these measures will be announced soon.

You cannot use the voucher to help pay for works that were carried out prior to the voucher being issued.

You cannot use the voucher to replace insulation or low carbon heating measures that are already installed in your home. However, you can use the voucher to ‘top up’ existing measures (for example, installing additional loft insulation up to the recommended level).

Secondary measures

If you install at least 1 primary measure, your voucher can be used to help cover the cost of any of the following secondary measures:

• draught proofing
• double/triple glazing (where replacing single glazed windows)
• secondary glazing (in addition to single glazing)
• external energy efficient doors (replacing single glazed or solid doors installed before 2002)
• heating controls
• hot water tank thermostats and insulation

The amount you get towards the cost of secondary measures cannot exceed the amount you get for primary measures.

ExampleA homeowner wants to install cavity wall insulation and receives a voucher worth £400 towards the work. They can receive a maximum of £400 more for secondary measures, such as replacing single glazed windows with double glazed windows.

Items not covered by the voucher

There are certain items that are not covered by the voucher, including:

• building a new extension or conversion to your home
• insulating a conservatory with no fixed heating
• installing a new fossil fuel boiler (such as gas, oil or LPG boilers)

How to apply

1. Use the Simple Energy Advice (SEA) website to check what energy efficiency or low carbon heat improvements can be made to your home.
2. Use the SEA website to find accredited tradespeople or businesses in your area that are able to undertake the work and obtain quotes from them. You should get at least 3 quotes to make sure you are getting the best value for money.
3. Apply for the voucher from the end of September 2020.

You should only enter into a commitment to carry out work once you have had confirmation that your voucher application has been accepted.

You must make sure the work is scheduled to be completed, and the voucher redeemed subject to its terms and conditions, by 31 March 2021.#

For further information, see the gov.uk website; https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-green-homes-grant-scheme