This article was updated on October 25th 2022. This scheme has since been discontinued, however, you could still be eligible for multiple home improvement grants (solar, insulation, heat pump etc.) through ECO4 for very similar eligibility requirements. Check the bottom of the article for more details.
What was involved in the Green Homes Grant scheme?
This scheme was created with the goal of reducing carbon emissions throughout households in the UK. To incentivise these money-saving changes, the government saw fit to create vouchers that could be redeemed for these energy and money-saving instalments. These instalments ranged from low-carbon heating systems to double-glazing windows.
The actual value of the voucher given to a successful application depends entirely on their individual circumstance. Typically, however, they could’ve covered around two-thirds of the overall cost of any improvement.
That being said, there is a voucher worth £10,000 that is available for the most low-income of families. Only households that earn less that £31,000 a year, and has at least one member of the family on some sort of benefit, will qualify for this scheme.
What improvements could you get?
The vouchers were available to anyone who owns their own home for the most part. Nonetheless, any who legally live within the building would have to sign off on it.
Provided that wasn’t a problem, then you’d be looking at two tiers of improvements: Primary and Secondary. The way it worked was simple, you could only spend your voucher on a secondary improvement if you already had a primary.
Primary improvements are as follows:
Insulation:
- Solid Wall
- Cavity Wall
- Underfloor
- Loft
- Roof
Low-Carbon Heating:
- Air Source
- Ground Source
- Hybrid Heat Pump
- Solar Thermal System
- Biomass Boiler
You may think that this means that you could’ve have gotten a secondary improvement, but that wasn’t the case. So long as the primary upgrade had been finished you could apply for a secondary with a catch, you can only get up to the amount that was spent on the primary improvement.
Example: if you received a grand for a cavity wall insulation, then that’s the maximum that you could get towards any type of secondary measure. This, of course, took the £5000 maximum fund into account. So if you had £3500 on a primary installation, then you couldn’t have gotten the same again as it would exceed the £5000 maximum spend.
Nonetheless, the following what was on offer for a secondary measure:
Draught Proofing:
- Double
- Triple Glazing
- Secondary Glazing (only if current windows were single glazing)
- Energy Efficient Doors (blocks heat from leaving)
Heating Controls and Insulation:
- Appliance Thermostat
- Hot Water Tank Thermostats
- Hot Water Tank Insulation
- Smart-Heating Controls
- Zone Controls
- Delayed-Start Thermostats
- Thermostatic Radiator Valves
How could you use and redeem your Green Homes Grant voucher?
Unfortunately, this scheme has indeed closed, paving the way for more modern, more convenient alternatives that we’ll discuss in the next section. Nonetheless, the sign up was simple. You made an application and waited for confirmation. In fact, if you made one before the closing date, you could still theoretically cash in a voucher if it were waiting for you. Then again, many have expiration dates.
What other options are available?
The scheme is no longer active, but there’s another that has risen to take its place. It’s name is ECO4, and it covers a range of energy saving installments that can save you hundreds in bills, and add value to your household. The grants covers free insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels.
The qualifying factors are similar to the Green Homes Scheme. If you’re a low-income household in receipt of supplemental government benefits, then your chances of being accepted into the ECO4 Scheme is majorly high.
If you think you’re eligible or are otherwise interested, please follow one of the blue links above to find out more. Sign up is stress free and the administration is majorly done for you. Thanks for reading.
