Green Homes Grant Scheme: What it means for your property in Leicestershire

As part of its attempt to kickstart the economy following the Coronavirus lockdown, and to meet its environmental targets, the UK Government unveiled a new grant for home improvements.

The Green Homes Grant.

With the Green Homes Grant, homeowners and landlords alike can receive up to £10,000 in vouchers for certain home improvement projects aimed at improving the energy efficiency of their property.

There are some rules surrounding the grant, however. One of the main ones being that the work must be carried out by an accredited supplier.

At Kettell Windows, we’re keen to become an accredited supplier for the Leicestershire area, but as with others in the industry, are awaiting further information.

But in the meantime, we’re receiving lots of questions about how the Green Homes Grant works, and whether it’s worth putting existing projects on-hold. Let’s take a look.

What is the Green Homes Grant?

The Green Homes Grant is a new scheme from the UK Government designed to allow homeowners and landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

How much can I get?

Most homeowners and landlords can claim two-thirds of the cost of their home improvement project, up to a maximum of £5,000.

For low-income households, the vouchers are worth up to £10,000, and cover 100% of the cost, so no contribution necessary.

How do I know if I’m eligible for the Green Homes Grant?

Credit to Acuatro Arquitectos

When the scheme launches in September 2020, homeowners and landlords will be able to use the Simple Energy Advice website to find out which home improvements are recommended for their property, in order to improve its energy efficiency.

Depending on your circumstances affects the level of grant funding you can receive.

Those classified as being on a low income can receive up to £10,000. For those not on a low income, vouchers up to £5,000 are being offered.

In addition, whilst you may be eligible for the scheme itself, eligibility for the different energy efficiency measures varies. Take a look at the section below to find out more details on this.

What home improvements are included in the scheme?

The Green Homes Grant scheme covers a range of energy saving measures, designed to reduce the amount of energy your home uses and, subsequently, save money on energy bills.

The scheme is split into two parts. The first part is the ‘primary measures’, you must have one or more of these measures installed through the grant in order to be eligible for the second part, the ‘secondary measures’.

Here are the primary measures covered:

• Solid wall, under-floor, cavity wall, loft, flat roof, room in room, or roof insulation
• Air or ground source heat pumps
• Solar thermal

When it comes to the secondary measures, there is an additional level of eligibility. The cost of the secondary measure(s) cannot exceed the cost of the primary measure. Like with the primary measures, you can choose to have one or more of these.

Here are the secondary measures:

• Double glazing, triple glazing, and secondary glazing
• Replacement of doors fitted prior to 2002 with more energy efficient alternative
• Draught proofing
• Hot water tank/appliance tank thermostats/heating controls, as well as thermostatic radiator valves, smart heating controls, or zone controls

There is an additional piece of eligibility replaced to windows and doors. To qualify for double glazing, triple glazing, or secondary glazing under the scheme, you must be upgrading from single glazing. This scheme does not accept upgrades from double glazing to double glazing, for example.

Should existing home improvement projects be put on-hold?

With the promise of vouchers that can contribute towards the cost of improving your property, it might be tempting to put a project on-hold, or even cancel altogether.

For the most part, it is unlikely to be worthwhile to place existing projects on-hold or cancel altogether.

For example, if you are looking to replace your windows or doors, the grant won’t cover upgrading existing double glazing. The only time this scheme would be of benefit in that scenario is if your home had single glazing.

Nonetheless, if this scheme will allow you the opportunity to install additional energy efficiency measures in your home that you wouldn’t otherwise have done so, we highly recommend taking advantage of the grant (if needed) to help improve the energy efficiency and lower your energy bills.

If you are looking to upgrade your home in Leicestershire, whether under the Green Homes Grant Scheme or not, get in touch with our team and see how we can help with new, energy efficient windows or doors.