What is the Governments Green New Deal?

The government is offering £5000 to homeowners and landlords in order to upgrade UK homes.

The government is investing £2 billion into the economy in an attempt to modernise UK homes, improving their insulation, heating and overall energy efficiency. As well as creating new jobs, the project is designed to reduce the country’s carbon footprint and put it on the path to a sustainable future.

Those applying for the scheme can receive a voucher of up to £5000 which can be used to cover two thirds of the cost of improvement (including VAT and labour costs). £10000 are being offered to those on low-income support and this sum would cover the whole cost of improvement making it, effectively, free. Half of the money going into the scheme is expected to go to those with low income, modernising the property of those who may not have been able to afford it and providing them with reduced energy bills. As of the time of writing, 600,000 of these vouchers are available.

The voucher isn’t available to tenants but landlords are able to claim up to £5000.

Anyone applying for a voucher is required to install either a form insulation, such as wall, loft or floor insulation, or a low carbon heat source like solar panels or an air source heat pump. Double glazing is covered by the voucher but one of the above has been installed first before you qualify for it. Note that this work can be expensive (an air source heat pump can cost between £10000-12000 and the work) but it is possible to claim multiple vouchers for different projects. This means that participants aren’t necessarily locked out of double glazing after spending the first voucher on expensive improvements; another voucher can simply be issued to cover the cost of further work.

Most people can qualify for the scheme but will first need to be assessed by a green home registered installer and the work itself has to be carried out by an accredited professional who is qualified to work on the scheme. The work has to be completed in three months or before March 31st 2022 so providers booked past this date cannot be of service.

For more information, and to see the full list of improvements covered by the grant, you can visit the governments grant webpage at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-green-homes-grant-scheme.