The government has confirmed the range of measures that will be covered under its new £2bn Green Homes Grant scheme, with boiler works not making the cut.
The Green Homes Grants will give homeowners, including owner occupiers and social/private landlords, vouchers to install one or more of the following:
In addition, households can use their voucher for further energy saving measures. These include one or more of the following:
Consumers in England will be able to claim the new vouchers, which are worth up to £5,000 for homeowners. Households on low income can receive vouchers covering 100% of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £10,000.
The government has also confirmed that tradespeople must register for TrustMark or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation to take part in the scheme.
Further details about the scheme and eligibility can be read here.
Business and Energy Secretary Alok Sharma said: "Green home improvements will save people money on their energy bills, help to cut carbon emissions, and create new work for many thousands of builders, plumbers and other tradespeople.
"Our TrustMark scheme will guarantee that building work is completed to a high standard by accredited tradespeople, ensuring consumers are fully protected."
The decision to not include boilers and limit the works to solely TrustMark or MCS-accredited companies was criticised by manufacturer Worcester Bosch.
Martyn Bridges, Director of Technical Communication and Product Management at Worcester Bosch, commented: “Although we support any scheme that actively tries to improve the efficiency of UK homes, the fact that upgrading boilers is not included in this grant is an oversight. There are still anything up to 6m non-condensing boilers in operation so upgrading to a high efficiency condensing boiler would have made a significant improvement to these homes.
“Another concern is that tradespeople need to be TrustMark or MCS-accredited registered companies to undertake the work. The overwhelming majority of heating installation businesses are not members as they are small, one-man operated businesses. Therefore, while we will end up with more efficient properties for homeowners, there will be no great job retention outcome for the businesses that are not able to take advantage of this grant."
If you'd like to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the heating and plumbing industry, why not subscribe to our weekly newsletters? Just click the button below and you can ensure all the latest industry news and new product information lands in your inbox every week.
Subscribe to receive your free copy of HVP every month.
