'A great opportunity': Government debuts Green Homes Grant website

Anyone planning to tackle some DIY this Bank Holiday weekend would be advised to check out the government's revamped Simple Energy Advice website first, to see if they may be eligible for the Green Homes Grant scheme that is set to launch next month.

The government today unveiled an updated version of the website, which has been revamped in preparation for the new £2bn grant scheme that will provide homeowners and landlords with up to £5,000 off the cost of a range of energy efficiency upgrades.

Fuel poor households could also be eligible for grants worth up to £10,000 under the scheme, which is the largest component to date of the government's promised 'green recovery' strategy.

The scheme is not due to open for grant applications until late-September, but those interested in undertaking energy efficiency improvements are now able to assess the kind of work that could be delivered through the scheme via the expanded Simple Energy Advice website.

Business and Energy Secretary, Alok Sharma, urged people to check out the new website and see how they could reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions.

"Green Homes Grants are a key part of our plans to build back greener, helping make 600,000 homes more energy efficient with government vouchers, while supporting 100,000 skilled jobs and supporting our transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050," he said. "From today people will have the chance to see how this scheme could help save money on their energy bills and connect to trusted local tradespeople across the country, so they are ready for the scheme's launch in September."

The site offers a quick energy survey that will allow households to see how energy efficient their homes already are, and identify where improvements can be made. Taking around five minutes, the survey is designed to then provide homeowners and landlords with a personalised energy plan that they can act on.

"The Green Homes Grant scheme is a great opportunity to get a grant to cut energy bills," said Energy Savings Trust chief executive, Mike Thornton. "Now the website is live, we urge people to go online to create a personalised plan for energy efficiency in their home as a first step to getting their grant."

The launch of the revamped website follows confirmation earlier this month of the wide range of technologies eligible for the scheme, which will see households provided with grants to cover two thirds of the cost of upgrades up to a cap of £5,000.

The scheme covers a range of green home improvements including insulation of walls, floors and roofs, the installation of double or triple glazing when replacing single glazing, and low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps and solar thermal technologies.

The scheme has been broadly welcomed by industry and green groups, who predicted it would provide a major boost to the green building sector and help slash energy bills and carbon emissions for participating households.

However, some sectors expressed frustration at not being eligible for the grants, while campaigners have also warned that the short term scheme - which is due to end next year - needs to be accompanied by a longer term strategy for improving the efficiency of the UK's entire housing stock.

The scheme is expected to be hugely popular given previous less generous energy efficiency grant scheme saw the assigned budget burnt through within days as homeowners and landlords rushed to secure grants.

The government has also recently called on businesses that provide energy efficiency services to ensure they have secured the appropriate industry certification, which will be required if they are to undertake work through the grant scheme.

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• Topics
• Efficiency
• Policy
• Simple Energy Advice
• Green Homes Grant
• Alok Sharma
• Energy Savings Trust
• energy efficency
• Green recovery