Ask the experts: improving your home with the Green Homes Grant scheme

BG: The Green Homes Grant is open to all homeowners – either owner occupiers or landlords – so most households will qualify. You can check your eligibility, and what technologies might be most suitable for your home, by going to greenhomesgrant.campaign.gov.uk

BG: You’re right that the Green Home Grant doesn’t cover boilers, though you can use it to get a new low carbon heating system such as a heat pump. I think the other scheme you’re referring to might be the Energy Company Obligation scheme, which is still available alongside the Green Homes Grant to support energy efficiency, including boilers where appropriate, though it’s primarily aimed at lower income households. You can find out about it at gov.uk/energy-company-obligation

LM: As Ben says, funding is still available across Great Britain for boiler replacements in some circumstances through the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO). If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you may also be able to get support through schemes running in your area. There are a number of schemes in Scotland that you can find out about from Home Energy Scotland, in Wales there is the Welsh Government Warm Homes Nest scheme and in Northern Ireland you can find out about schemes from Northern Ireland Energy Advice.

BG: Yes, that’s right, the scheme is England only. Energy efficiency policy is devolved, which means that the governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales can choose to operate their own policies. You’ll be able to find out what’s available in your area by going to the government website for the part of the UK you are in.

LM: As an independent organisation dedicated to promoting energy efficiency and sustainable energy use across throughout the UK, Energy Saving Trust manages, administers or supports similar schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There are a number of schemes in Scotland that you can find out about from Home Energy Scotland, in Wales there is the Welsh Government Warm Homes Nest scheme and in Northern Ireland you can find out about schemes from Northern Ireland Energy Advice. For more information about these schemes and how you can find out your eligibility please use the following links:

• Scotland – Home Energy Scotland
• Wales – NEST scheme
• Northern Ireland – Energy Advice

BG: The Green Home Grant is open to homeowners, which means it would be your landlord who needs to apply for the grant if you’re in a rented property. If you do move, then you’ll absolutely be able to apply for a separate grant as the owner of your new property, so long as the scheme is open. There are checks in place to prevent people applying multiple times for the same property, but in the case you’re describing, it would be absolutely fine.

BG: Yes, you can apply. You’ll want to discuss what’s appropriate for your property with your installer when arranging a quote, but there are plenty of options under the Green Homes Grant that can be installed in a listed building. Obviously, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got any required planning or other consents for whatever work you choose to do.

LM: Following on from Ben’s response, if your property is listed, then there will be restrictions on what changes you are allowed to make. You should contact your local authority to find out what is permitted. If you can get approval to make an improvement, then you could potentially claim the Green Homes Grant provided it meets the scheme criteria.

BG: In short, no, you do not have to claim benefits to be eligible for the Green Homes Grant. If you are a homeowner or residential landlord in England, you are potentially eligible for the scheme. Vouchers will cover two-thirds of the cost of eligible improvements, up to a maximum government contribution of £5,000. If you, or someone in your household, receive certain benefits you may be eligible for a voucher covering 100% of the cost of the improvements. The maximum value of the voucher is £10,000. To check what level of support you can claim, please visit gov.uk/check-eligible-green-homes-grant

BG: Yes, it can, but we’ll adjust the total you receive through the Renewable Heat Incentive if you’re using both. The grant helps pay for the upfront cost, and the Renewable Heat Incentive is paid out over time. So the support you get from the Green Homes Grant will be deducted from what you receive over time from the Renewable Heat Incentive. No need to worry about the amounts – it’ll be calculated and adjusted for you. You can find more detail at www.ofgem.gov.uk/key-term-explained/grants

LM: To follow on from Ben’s response, you could claim Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments for a heating system such as a heat pump. For more information on heat pumps and renewable heat sources, visit Energy Saving Trust’s advice page.

BG: Not long at all. You can check your eligibility at greenhomesgrant.campaign.gov.uk and then it’s just a simple online form to submit the application. You’ll just need to have a quote for the work you want carried out, and the Trustmark registration number of the installer you’ve chosen (which your installer will be able to give you), to include in the application.

BG: If you’re thinking about impact on the environment, all of the eligible measures will help, by reducing the amount of energy you use and by switching to lower carbon energy. Big building fabric changes, like insulation or switching from a boiler to low carbon heating, will typically have the biggest impact, but anything you do under the grant will help.

LM: The potential savings you can achieve vary depending on your home’s current energy efficiency level. The effect of installing the same measure in two different homes may vary considerably. You can visit greenhomesgrant.campaign.gov.uk to build your personalised plan. Energy Saving Trust offers information on what eligible measures the Green Home Grant vouchers cover and will make the most impact on your home energy efficiency. Visit Energy Saving Trust’s home energy advice page.

BG: We’re working hard with industry to get more installers signed up, and more are registering every day, so keep checking back. But it’s also worth giving some of the companies listed on the site a call. Quite a few operate at national scale, so even though their office address might be a fair way from you, they might well have installers able to operate in your area.

BG: Yes, you can choose the company, but they will need to be a Green Homes Grant registered installer, which gives you the reassurance that they have the right training and expertise, and are signed up to the customer protections and guarantees you’d expect. You can find the details of registered firms in your area through the greenhomesgrant.campaign.gov.uk website.

BG: The Green Homes Grant scheme itself doesn’t require a survey. You just need the property details and a quote from a Green Homes Grant registered installer. But you will want to make sure you work with your chosen installer to ensure that the measures you want to install are done in a way that’s suitable for your property.

BG: The application for the scheme has to come from the homeowner, but that can be the landlord in the case of rented accommodation, so it’s certainly worth talking to yours about the scheme. Landlords will be aware that the Government has now introduced minimum energy efficiency standards for rented properties, and we’re currently consulting on raising those, to help save carbon and save tenants money on their bills, so it’s in your landlord’s interest to take advantage of the voucher scheme ahead of those standards coming into force.

LM: Following on from Ben’s response, the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO) may be able to offer advice and support relevant to your needs. You can visit www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/eco to find out more.

BG: Once you’ve received the voucher and the work is completed and validated, we aim in most cases to process the grant funding within five working days.

You can find out more about the Green Homes Grant scheme, including eligibility and a list of approved measures, on our dedicated scheme advice page.