ARE YOU GRANT READY?

The Green Homes Grant is now live. Here’s a brief overview of the scheme and some key questions for those wishing to maximise the opportunities over the coming six months.

Currently in the UK, our buildings account for more than a third of our greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Homes Grant in England is one of the Government measures set to ensure we hit our 2050 target for net zero. The scheme will help tackle fuel poverty and improve the energy efficiency of our homes.

So, with £1.5 billion now available, allocated as vouchers – up to £10,000 per household, you need to be engaging with consumers to make the most of this win-win opportunity.

Educating the consumer is key to making a success of the Green Homes Grant. Homeowners and residential landlords need to understand how and why they should take advantage of the grant and the impact energy efficiency measures will have on their home and bank balance in the future.

Primary Measures

The voucher must be used to install at least one primary measure, either insulation (e.g. solid wall, cavity wall, under-floor, loft, flat roof, pitched, room in roof) and low carbon heat (e.g air source, ground source or hybrid heat pump, solar thermal and biomass boiler).

Secondary measures

Once at least one primary measure has been installed and the voucher redeemed for that measure, vouchers can then be used to help cover the cost of secondary measures, these include windows and doors and heating controls and insulation.

The amount received towards the cost of secondary measures cannot exceed the amount received for primary measures.

The voucher covers labour, materials and VAT.

Maximise Opportunities Now

So, if you are a relevant product manufacturer or installer are you geared up to take advantage now?

• do you understand the scheme?
• have you registered for the scheme? Work must be completed by a TrustMark-registered installer who is also registered for the scheme, for example.
• as an installer, can you meet PAS and MCS standards when installing the measures?
• do you have the knowledge to inform customers of the benefits?
• have you updated your communication collateral to reflect the voucher availability? Consider your website, social media and literature (both digital and print), it should be targeted to really educate the consumer about the short- and long-term benefits.
• check your messaging – are you showcasing your skills and experience in manufacturing / installing these products?
• do you have testimonials which you can share? Get on top of your online reviews and recommendations (Google, Facebook etc.).
• do you have calculations detailing the performance and/or energy savings achieved by your product?
• contact any recent gone-aways to see if the grant will prompt them into action or changing their mind.

Above all, remember the scheme is only due to run until March 31^st 2021.

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