WCC is encouraging all residents to explore the opportunity of environmentally sustainable home-improvements through the UK Government’s Green Home Grant Scheme, which has now been extended by a year.
Homeowners and landlords in England can apply for a voucher towards the cost of installing energy-efficient and low-carbon heating improvements to homes, which could help save up to £600 a year on energy bills.
To be eligible for a Green Home Grant, residents must live in England and:
- own their own home (including long-leaseholders and shared ownership)
- own their own park home on a residential site (including Gypsy and Traveller sites)
- be a residential landlord in the private or social rented sector (including local authorities and housing associations).
The government will provide a voucher to help cover up to two-thirds of the cost of qualifying improvements for your home. The maximum value of the voucher is £5,000.
Homeowners, or those with a member of the household who receive one of the qualifying means-tested benefits, may be able to receive a higher level of subsidy covering 100% of the cost of the improvements. The maximum value of this voucher is £10,000.
Green Home Grants can be used to pay for both primary and secondary measures, as detailed below:
Primary Measures
The award of a Green Home Grant will be dependent upon residents installing at least one primary measure. These include:
- Insulation – solid wall insulation (internal or external), cavity wall insulation, under-floor insulation (solid floor, suspended floor), loft insulation, flat roof insulation, pitched roof insulation, room in roof insulation or insulating a park home.
- Low carbon heat – air source heat pump, ground source heat pump, solar thermal (liquid filled flat plate or evacuated tube collector), biomass boiler, hybrid heat pump.
Secondary Measures
If residents install at least 1 primary measure, their voucher can be used to help cover the cost of any of the following secondary measures:
- Windows and doors – draught proofing, double or triple glazing (where replacing single glazing) secondary glazing (in addition to single glazing) or energy efficient replacement doors (replacing single glazed or solid doors installed before 2002).
- Heating controls and insulation – hot water tank thermostat, hot water tank insulation or heating controls (such as, appliance thermostats, smart heating controls, zone controls, intelligent delayed start thermostat, thermostatic radiator valves).
Residents must redeem their voucher and ensure improvements are completed by 31 March 2022.
Cllr Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and the Environment, said:
“Though it may not seem like it right now, the threat of climate change remains one of the biggest challenges faced by humanity in the modern world.
“The challenges we face through the changing climate of our planet can only be overcome through a concerted effort on all our parts to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and thereby minimising our Carbon footprints.
“Warwickshire County Council has made leaps and bounds in reducing its own Carbon footprint and we are now calling on our residents to think about the things that they can do to benefit the cause. The Government’s Green Home Grants are a great place to start as they help our homes become more environmentally-friendly whilst also helping residents to save money on the energy bills.”
To find out more about Green Home Grants and to apply for one, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-green-homes-grant-scheme#contents
There will be online provision for advice through https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/
Act on Energy can also provide assistance and advice around applying for Green Home Grants. Visit their website for more details: https://actonenergy.org.uk/
For more information about how Warwickshire County Council is facing the challenges of human-influenced climate change, visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/theclimateemergency