A new Government scheme, launching in September, will offer vouchers for energy-saving home improvements. We look at what Green Homes Grant is and who can apply for it.

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Created to help the economy and create jobs in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Green Homes Grant is a new Government scheme which aims to help homeowners make energy-efficiency improvements to their homes.

If you’re unclear what the scheme entails, whether you’re eligible, or how to apply, read on for up-to-date information from the Good Homes team.

How much could you receive from the Green Homes Grant? 

The scheme is quite complex to get to grips with, but in essence, the Government will pay two-thirds of the cost of selected home improvements, up to the value of £5,000, through issuing vouchers to be redeemed against the work being completed.

If you own your own home, but qualify as a low-income household, you’re eligible for the Government to pay up to the value of £10,000 for home improvements, with no need to contribute yourself. You’ll qualify for the low-income scheme if you are in receipt of any of the following Government benefits:

• Income based Jobseekers allowance (JSA) • Income based Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) • Income Support (IS) • Pension Guarantee Credit • Working Tax Credit (WTC) • Child Tax Credits (CTC) • Universal Credit (UC) • Disability Living Allowance (DLA) • Personal Independence Payment (PIP) • Attendance Allowance • Carer’s Allowance • Severe Disablement Allowance • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit • Contribution based Jobseekers allowance (JSA) • Contribution based Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) • Housing benefit

At present, the scheme is only available for households in England, so those in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland cannot apply. 

What can Green Homes Grant vouchers be used for?

Vouchers can be redeemed against appropriate energy-saving measures for your home. These measures have been divided into primary and secondary categories.

Primary measures include:

• Insulation: Solid wall, cavity wall, under-floor, loft, flat roof, room in roof, park home
• Air source heat pumps
• Ground source heat pumps
• Solar thermal

If you already have these features installed in your property, you can apply for grant money to improve them. If you do apply for one or more of these primary measures, you can then have access to funding for secondary measures, which includes:

• Heating controls and insulation
• Replacing single glazing for double or triple glazing; or secondary glazing
• Upgrading to energy efficient doors
• Draught-proofing

However, you cannot receive more funding for a secondary measure than a primary one – meaning if you claim £2,000 on primary measures, you’ll only be able to claim up to £2,000 on these secondary measures.

Read more: How to make your kitchen more eco-friendly

Image: Pixabay

How do I apply? 

Homeowners in England will soon be able to access advice on improving their home’s energy efficiency from the Simple Energy Advice service, offering advice on areas where homes could become greener. 

A list of approved businesses will then be provided, from which homeowners can choose for work to be undertaken. Once the work has been agreed by all parties,  the Government will begin to issue vouchers from the end of September, with the scheme currently scheduled to run until March 2021. 

 

Will you be applying for the Green Homes Grant? Tweet us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page. 

 

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