Martin Lewis urges Brits to apply for £5,000 Green Homes Grant vouchers before money runs out
MARTIN Lewis has urged Brits to apply for Green Homes Grant vouchers worth up to £5,000 before the money runs out. Brits can apply for free Government cash to install extra insulation, eco-friendly boilers, or even draft-proofing and double glazing under the scheme. But the Government plans to slash the scheme’s budget by over £1 […]
MARTIN Lewis has urged Brits to apply for Green Homes Grant vouchers worth up to £5,000 before the money runs out.
Brits can apply for free Government cash to install extra insulation, eco-friendly boilers, or even draft-proofing and double glazing under the scheme.
But the Government plans to slash the scheme’s budget by over £1 billion.
The consumer guru warned Brits on The Martin Lewis Money Show Live last night that they’ll need to act fast before funding for the scheme is cut.
“If this is for you, I’d get on with it, check it out now,” Martin said.
The £2billion Green Homes Grant was first revealed in the spending review last year to help Brits make their homes more energy efficient.
Do I qualify for the scheme?
ANY owner, renters or social or private landlords in England can apply for a Green Homes Grant.
New-build properties that have not been occupied before are not eligible.
People who qualify for the low-income scheme (who get the bigger grant of up to £10,000) must receive at least one of the following benefits:
- Income based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
- Income based Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support (IS)
- Pension Guarantee Credit
- Working Tax Credit (WTC)
- Child Tax Credits (CTC)
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Contribution based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
- Contribution based Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- Housing benefit
Landlords can’t apply for the low-income part of the scheme.
Of this cash, £1.5bn of funding would be made available to households, with £500m to be divvied out to local councils.
But any money not spent this year will not be rolled over to next, Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth Anne Marie Trevleyan confirmed last week.
She said the funds were “a short-term stimulus, for use in the 2020/21 financial year only”.
Mrs Trevleyan also confirmed last month that just 20,000 vouchers worth £71million have been dished out so far to households as of January 22, and only £320million of funding will be given for 2021/22.
This means the pot available to homeowners could reduce by £1.1bn.
Martin said you can check whether you’re eligible to receive the vouchers by heading to simpleenergyadvice.org.
You’ll have to enter your postcode to see what help you could get.
Under the scheme, you’ll have to apply for vouchers to install a “primary measure”, which could include installing new insulation or low carbon heat measures into your home.
Then, you’ll be able to get the same amount of money to install “secondary measures”, which could include new double glazing or smart heating controls.
What can the Green Home Energy grant be spent on?
The vouchers will be for homeowners in England and will cover energy-saving measures that are either insulation or low carbon heat in the first instance.
Insulation measures include:
- Solid wall
- Under-floor
- Cavity wall
- Flat roof
- Room in roof
- Insulating a park home
Low carbon heat measures include:
- Air or ground source heat pump
- Solar thermal (solar panels which can be used for heating water)
- Biomass boilers
If you use the voucher for any of the measures above, you can also use it to cover the following:
- Draught proofing
- Double or triple glazing when replacing single glazing
- Secondary glazing when in addition to single glazing
- External energy efficient doors when replacing single glazed or solid doors installed before 2002
- Heating controls
- Hot water tank thermostats and insulation
The voucher does not cover:
- A new extension or conversion
- Insulating a conservatory which has no fixed heating
- installing a new fossil fuel boiler such as gas, oil or LPG
To find out exactly what qualifies as a primary and secondary measure, visit the Green Homes Grant scheme website.
However, Martin warned Brits about shortfalls of the grants.
He said: “I liked the concept of this system when it was first announced, but frankly, the way it’s been rolled out is over complex, badly designed and it’s quite tough to get installers.
“If this is for you, I’d get on with it, check it out now. You might find it quite difficult to get to, but still it’s big money, possibly.”
Earlier this year, MPs also expressed grave concerns about the lack of accredited engineers taking part in the scheme to achieve its eco-goals.
Martin made the same criticisms last year, calling the scheme a flop because only one in six homes could find installers accredited by the scheme to do the work.
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