Green Homes Grant
By: admin | Posted on: September 30, 2020
From today (Wednesday 30th September 2020) homeowners across England have the opportunity to apply for funding under the Government’s Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme to make energy-efficiency improvements to their homes. The vouchers will allow homeowners to obtain funding for up to two-thirds (up to £5000) of the cost of the energy efficiency measures identified, while lower-income households including those on certain benefits could be entitled to have as much as £10,000 of the costs fully covered. It is possible that over 600,000 homes could benefit from the scheme so there is a real opportunity for our Registered Businesses to refresh their delivery practices, develop new skills, gain more customers, expand, and grow. What measures are covered by the Green Homes Grant? Under the Green Homes Grant, homeowners will be able to apply for funding to improve the property’s energy efficiency. This is a significant opportunity for tradespeople who are able to carry out the following works to gather new business:External wall insulation; internal wall insulation; cavity wall insulationUnder-floor insulation: solid FloorUnder-floor insulation: suspended FloorLoft insulation; flat roof insulation; room-in-roof insulationAir source; ground source heat pumpSolar thermalBiomass boiler In addition, households can use their voucher for further energy-saving measures. These include one or more of the following:Draught proofing; double or triple glazing; secondary glazing, when replacing single glazingEnergy-efficient replacement doorsHot water tank thermostat; hot water tank insulation; heating controls To ensure the work carried out under the scheme is of high quality that consumers can trust, all businesses need to be certified to install energy efficiency or low carbon heat measures to the relevant standards and be registered with TrustMark. They must be Publicly Available Specification (PAS) standards 2030: 2017 or 2030: 2019 certified, by a certification body that has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). More information is available on the UKAS website. To install low carbon heating measures, such as heat pumps, the business must be certified with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). Once a business is certified to the required standards, they can register with TrustMark through one of our Scheme Providers. The business will be added to the directory of certified installers on the Simple Energy Advice website, where homeowners can search and find them to obtain a quote. Quality assurance is at the heart of everything we do, so any business undertaking work for the Green Homes Grant must be compliant with the TrustMark Code of Conduct, Customer Charter, and all TrustMark financial protection mechanisms and other Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme Rules. More information about the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme Requirements for Registered Business are available below Work Safe, Safe Work Consumer confidence is essential in the success of the Green Homes Grant. As you know, the Work Safe, Safe Work scheme has been developed by TrustMark to give reassuring advice about what COVID-safety measures should be discussed and carried out when having work done in and around their property. These messages are now more important than ever. All the campaign messaging and updated graphics can be found on the business resource hub (at the button below) to help you continue to promote the campaign. Please keep reminding your customers about the campaign. Ways to do this include:Attaching the PDF of the guidebook to any estimates you send outEmail customers who cancelled work during lockdown to provide added reassuranceShare tips from the guidebook across your social media channels, using the hashtag#worksafesafeworkMake use of the updated campaign graphics to accompany any communications you send out. These are located in the resource hub A bright future The Green Homes Grant is a turning point in our recovery and an important commitment from the government to decarbonise properties and keep us on track to reach net-zero by 2050. It is a chance to refresh our delivery practices, create jobs, develop new skills and retrain our workforce. TrustMark is proud to be working with the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and industry sectors to support the delivery of the Green Homes Grant, allowing eligible property owners to pay for energy efficiency improvements, that will not only cut energy bills but will also create and support thousands of jobs whilst addressing the climate emergency the world is facing.
If you need advice if you think you have any damp issues that require a survey, drying down and existing defects such as leaks etc, wall tie survey, or any ventilation requirements please contact the office on 01225 769215, or email enquiries@completepreservation.co.uk