Your questions about the Green Homes Grant have been answered by the experts from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Energy Saving Trust

[LucyBMumsnet]

With the chilly winter months fast approaching, many people are thinking about how they can make their homes warmer and help reduce their heating bills. Applications are now open for the Green Homes Grant, where homeowners can apply for a voucher towards the cost of installing energy efficient improvements to their home. We’ve partnered with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Energy Saving Trust (EST) to bring the experts to you, to answer any burning questions you may have about the Green Homes Grant.

Here’s what BEIS has to say: “Homeowners can wrap their homes up this winter and save money on bills with a Green Homes Grant. Vouchers to help cover the cost of energy-saving home improvements are available for householders and landlords under the government's new scheme. Up to £5,000 can be claimed by homeowners and low-income households could receive £10,000.

Ben Golding, Director of Energy Efficiency and Local at BEIS, and Laura McGadie, Group Head of Energy at EST, are the dedicated experts who will be online to answer your questions, whether these are on how to apply for vouchers, or about which improvements come under the scheme."

Want to know more about Ben and Laura? Find some information on the experts below:

Ben Golding - Director of Energy Efficiency and Local at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
“Ben is responsible for leading the government's work on energy efficiency across the residential, business, industry and public sectors in support of the ambition to achieve net zero by 2050, as well as the government's approach to tackling fuel poverty. Ben has over 15 years’ experience in government, the majority of it working on energy and climate policy, as well as having spent time in the energy industry as Director of External Policy for an international renewable electricity developer. Prior to his current role, Ben was previously head of core strategy and carbon budgets at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and has worked across a range of government policies from childcare to family law, before moving to work on energy policy.”

Laura McGadie - Group Head of Energy at Energy Saving Trust
“With more than 25 years' experience as a manager in the domestic energy advice field, Laura leads and develops the energy advice and renewables services across the UK, including the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland advice network and the Welsh Government’s Nest fuel poverty scheme. With a particular focus on high-quality advice delivery, Laura has driven ongoing improvements to achieve customer satisfaction levels of over 97%.”

Perhaps you would like to know more about how to apply and who is eligible to apply for the Green Homes Grant? Or maybe you’d like to know what improvements you can make with the voucher? Whatever your question may be, let BEIS and EST know by posting on this thread. Their expert will be back between the 11th and 13th of November to join the conversation and answer 15 of the questions raised.

All who post a question (regardless of whether it is answered or not) will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

[BristolMum96]

Do you have to be in receipt of benefits to be eligible ?

[ErinSophia]

How do I find out if I am eligible ?

[Cordillera]

I heard work has to be completed by end of March, is that true? In which case it's impossible.

[lionseptember]

How do I find out if I am eligible thank you

[Montydoo]

Do I need a survey on my home to see if it suitable ? meaning I may be turned down (LIve in a 18th Century house - not listed.)

[LivingMyVestLife]

I have a property where I cannot install any further insulation (apartment conversion) but would benefit from double-glazing but I think I'm ineligible. That doesn't make sense to me - surely the scheme should maximise the energy efficiency of each property whereas that rule means nothing whatsoever will be done in my property.

Also, the combination of a pot of cash and a tight deadline usually leads to cowboys and a boom and bust market. What will you do to ensure homeowners continue to invest in energy efficiency after March 2021 and that those doing the installation are both liable for the results of their work and have a long-term business model? As was shown by the Green Deal fiasco, getting this wrong gives all domestic energy efficiency a bad name.

[EggysMom]

Is the previous scheme, that helped towards replacement of a faulty or inefficient boiler, still running? This new scheme seems to offer everything except a boiler...

[purpletrees16]

My loft is completely uninsulated (1930s) but I also need to complete further structural work to the roof and install a new boiler (current boiler is 30 years old at least).

Do I need to organize the eligible work separately to the structural work or if I organize an approved contractor will it be all worked out after? What happens if I have the insulation done by one company and then the secondary work such as the ancient boiler replaced by a separate contractor?

[jinglehells]

We have a bedroom over an archway which is poorly insulated. From what I can tell if most closely resembles a room in roof set up, the shape is similar to a Dutch barn and there is no loft.

We live in the south west and there is no-one within 100 miles of us, offering this service under the grant, and most firms will not travel this far as they have sufficient take up of work locally under the scheme. The same applies to other types of insulation. This effectively reduces the availability of the grant to those people who live outside of large towns and cities and who would arguably benefit from the scheme. Are there plans to increase the number of providers in more rural areas or assist those people that are currently unable to benefit from the scheme due to these reasons?

[PickAChew]

So everyone has 5 months, over winter and during a pandemic, to get these grants applied for, work organised and completed? They're really hopng take up will be low, aren't they?

[lovemyflipflops]

Would I be able to select my company to provide the work to my home, or would they be on a government approved list (with all of the appropriate checks I would require so I have assurance I would have a trusted provider carrying out work on my home)

[FAQs]

I’ve checked eligibility via the Gov website and it looked as though the cottage I’m buying qualifies. It’s off grid, energy rating F, and Co2 rating G.

The difficulty is I understand the application process is taking several weeks and there is a lack of suppliers, contractors can continue to work during lockdown so it’s not a backlog issue.

If the fee contractors who are permitted to install can’t install within the timescale, aid it’s booked within the time and installed outside the deadline will I still be able to claim?

Thank you.

[FAQs]

• I’ll be applying for a ASHP system.

[FAQs]

For people asking if you’re eligible www.gov.uk/check-eligible-green-homes-grant

[anappleadaykeeps]

We are really keen on this scheme, and applied earlier in October for our grant, after getting quotes for Solar Thermal (our primary measure) and Heating Controls (as a secondary measure). We haven't heard anything back though apart for the standard "Confirmation of Receipt". Do you know how much longer we need to wait before we can go back to the installers with the vouchers confirmed? Is there a delay in vouchers being sent out at the moment?

We also wanted to get loft insulation done. But we can't find a local installer who will even bother replying to my request for information.

We get disability living allowance so qualify for the 100% of £10,000 voucher.

PS I think its a really good scheme, and a great idea to help get business moving again, and help reduce climate change/energy costs. Thank you for setting it up. But I was just wondering how much longer we needed to wait for our vouchers.

[BiBabbles]

Similar to previous questions: What is the expected timescale on getting the grants after application and are there any supplier or other requirements that could impact different locations differently? In nationwide schemes for other things, I've noticed some areas end up look bare when it comes to offical suppliers.

Also, are there any requirements for having been in a property for a certain length of time before using this scheme or for remaining in the property for a cerain amount of time after?

[ShakeaHettyFeather]

What measures have you/are you taking to avoid companies simply increasing prices by the cost of the voucher? My friend was looking into a heat pump and found the prices suddenly rocketed when this scheme was announced.

Also why is solar electricity excluded along with ground source heat pumps? Solar thermal would be complex with a combi boiler and air source heat pumps look fairly useless at a domestic scale.

I've gone through the application procedure and it's remarkably cagey about eligibility - it says 100% grants 'may' exist given family members receive DLA and PIP, but then refers to investment amounts and then I need to get quotes from three suppliers before finding out if I'm eligible or not? Sounds like a potential waste of time for the suppliers if it turns out I have to pay myself.

[ShakeaHettyFeather]

I'm in London, btw.

[Rae1000]

Hi we applied to install solar panels when there was a grant available. Our house was rejected...is this normal? We were told due to the way the house faces but neighbours have them so I do wonder...

[leanneth]

Does a bay window, with a flat roof above this section, qualify? The whole room isn’t under a flat roof, just one section of it.

[cookiemonster66]

We completed the online form and are eligible, I am registered disabled. We have rung companies that were on the list to contact and NONE of them have even bothered to ring us back, we feel like they do not even want the work, as we are restricted to only the companies who are listed, what else can we do?

[Cosmia]

I'd love to leverage this but the site tells me that nobody is available in my area for most of the things needed in my house - what can I do?

[PickledChicory]

What times of green home improvements are covered? Would heat recovery/exchange? What about freestanding solar panels in garden ground?
Would certain companies or trades people be required to do the work and would I need to source quotes. How simple is it to find out if you are eligible?

[RuffleCrow]

Why have you made it impossible for people to replace their creaking old energy inefficient boilers on this scheme? Mine is way too old and knackered to be connected up to an air source heat pump so the latter is no use to me.

Why don't you send the vouchers first, then let people shop around?!

[40somethingJBJ]

According to the website, I could get a new boiler for a “contribution” of £2,600 and could use my local plumber, who is on the list of registered tradesmen (and knew nothing about the scheme). He quoted me direct and it came in at £2,300, so £300 cheaper than the grant price. Guess which one I went with?! How is this saving money and helping homeowners out?