Green Homes Grant Scheme - Get Weather Ready

What you need to know about the Green Homes Grant

Did you know you can make your home warmer and your energy bills cheaper with a Green Homes Grant? Homeowners in England, including landlords, can get up to £5,000 toward the cost of energy saving measures like insulation using the government-backed scheme. For low income households, the grant covers 100% of the costs of work, up to £10,000.

Launching the scheme, Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “The Green Homes Grant is a vital part of our plan for jobs as we secure the UK’s economic recovery from coronavirus. This is going to be a green recovery with concern for our environment at its heart.

“It will help to protect and create jobs, while also saving people money and cutting carbon.”

The government has identified that there are more than 600,000 households which qualify for the scheme, so to save up to £600 a year on energy bills, make sure you apply today! You can check if you’re eligible here. As well as saving you money on your bills, installing energy efficient home improvements also cuts emissions, which is good news for the environment too.

If you’re a tradesperson, you can check the criteria here to make sure you’re eligible to carry out work under the scheme, which will support thousands of green jobs.

How does it work for homeowners?

Under the scheme, the government will provide a voucher for up to £5,000 to cover up to two-thirds of the cost of energy efficiency and low carbon heat improvements to your home. You must use the voucher for at least one ‘primary measure’ such as installing loft insulation or insulating a park home; you can then use the grant to cover a ‘secondary measure’ to the same cost – so if you spend £500 on insulation, you can also spend £500 on a ‘secondary measure’ like draught proofing. You can check the full list on the government’s website.

Don’t forget, you may be able to receive a bigger grant if you are a homeowner and you or a member of your household receives one of the qualifying benefits – that means the government will cover 100% of the cost of the improvements up to £10,000.

Once you’ve decided what improvements you need, you can apply for your voucher here.

What about tradespeople?

If you’re a tradesperson or you run a business that would like to install these improvements, you will need to register with TrustMark to carry out work under the scheme. Once you are registered with TrustMark, you need to apply to become a Green Homes Grant installer so you can deliver work in the 600,000 homes that will receive vouchers – and tradespeople or businesses that install low carbon heating improvements in homes will also need to be MCS certified.

Being registered with TrustMark not only assures your customers that you’ll install measures to the requisite high standard, it means you’ll be added to a directory of installers – so it is easier for homeowners wanting to participate in the scheme to find you. Using the directory, they can make contact and request a quote for the works they need.

Once a voucher has been issued to the homeowner, you can start work! Make sure the homeowner has their voucher and checks the expiry date on it before work commences, as the work must be completed and the voucher redeemed before this date – although customers can apply to extend the voucher, as long as the scheme is still open.

The government will pay you for costs covered by the voucher after the work is completed and the voucher has been redeemed, but make sure you check the full terms and conditions to ensure you can carry out the works in accordance with the scheme.

How can we help?

We’re supporting the new scheme alongside the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) who, in partnership with Trustmark, is helping to create a reliable and high-quality supply chain.

A full range of solutions are available via our dedicated e-commerce sites, including our Insulation Superstore, Roofing Superstore, Drainage Superstore and CMOTrade.co.uk, so we’re confident that our top-notch online service will help you find the products you need to keep your home warm and your bills down this winter.

And make sure you’re following us on social media to get the latest information on how you can get your home weather ready this winter.