What is Green Home Grant? How may I apply? How do I qualify for it? You may use this to cover the costs of improvements done to your home. This Your Benefits article will walk you through everything that you need to know about Green Homes Grant.
What is a Green Homes Grant?
There are many benefits that homeowners are able to apply for, to increase the energy performance of their home. In fact, the government has put in place a number of financial initiatives to accomplish this. Furthermore, among them are the Green Homes Grant, which is a green homes grant from your local authority delivery.
It is very important to note that the Green Homes Grant scheme has been closed for applications as of 13 March 2021. If you applied before that date at 5pm, your application is still eligible, and will be assessed.
How much are the vouchers?
The vouchers awarded by this scheme can cover the costs of installing energy-efficient things in your home, including improvements. More specifically, up to two-thirds of the costs of the improvements done. Additionally, the maximum amount of money that can be awarded is £5,000.
| Green Homes Grant amounts in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Does the applicant qualify for certain benefits? | How much of the improvement costs that can be covered | Maximum amount that can be awarded through the scheme |
| No | up to two-thirds | £5,000 |
| Yes | up to one hundred percent | £10,000 |
Can I get Green Homes Grant?
As said before, Green Homes Grant has been closed to new applications as of 31 March 2021. If you sent your in before that date at 5pm, your application will be processed. Then, you are likely to qualify for a voucher if you:
- Own the home that you live in, not excluding shared ownership and long-leaseholders;
- Own a park home that is located on top of a residential site, this includes Traveller and Gypsy sites;
- are a residential landlord in either the social or private rented sector, including housing associations and local authorities.
Your home may not be eligible to have Green Homes Grant used to improve it. This is likely the case if it has been built recently. In the case that it has not had anyone living inside it previous to that, it would then not be eligible for the scheme.
Green Homes Grant qualifying benefit
There are a number of benefits that may make you eligible for your improvement costs to be completely covered. They are as follows:
- Housing Benefit;
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA);
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA);
- Contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA);
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA);
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit;
- Severe Disablement Allowance ;
- Carer’s Allowance;
- Attendance Allowance;
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP);
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA);
- Universal Credit (UC);
- Child Tax Credit (CTC);
- Working Tax Credit (WTC);
- Pension Guarantee Credit;
- Income Support (IS).
If you already receive one of the following benefits, there is a good chance that you qualify for your costs to be completely covered, or for a maximum amount of £10,000.
How can I use the vouchers?
You will receive a separate voucher for each improvement, as a green homes grant local authority delivery scheme. FUrthermore, vouchers are only valid for the specific improvement they are assigned. As such, you may not use a voucher for an improvement other than the one that it was assigned for. You may not use vouchers on property other than the one it was assigned to.
There are various measures for which you may use Green Homes Grant. In fact, eligible improvements are split into two categories. Then, the first are ‘primary‘ measures, and the second are ‘secondary‘ measures.
Green Homes Grant primary measures
There are a number of insulation improvements that are covered by the scheme as a primary measure. They are as follows:
- Internal or external solid wall insulation;
- Cavity wall insulation;
- Park home insulation;
- Room in roof insulation;
- Pitched roof insulation;
- Flat roof insulation;
- Loft insulation;
- Under-floor (solid or suspended) insulation.
Some low carbon measures also count as primary. In fact, they help homes lower their carbon footprin which can in turn greatly reduce your energy bills. As such, the following measures are covered by Green Homes Grant:
- Air source heat pump;
- Hybrid heat pump;
- Biomass boiler;
- Solar thermal: this is an evacuated tube collector or liquid filled flat plate;
- Ground source heat pump.
Secondary measures
You must first get a primary measure done and covered by Green Homes Grant in order to get a secondary measure covered. However, the amount that Green Homes Grant covers for the secondary measure may not exceed the costs covered for the primary measure.
For example, if you were able to get £2000 covered for a cavity wall insulation (a primary measure), you may not get more than that amount covered by vouchers for a secondary measure.
Additionally, you may not pay for repairs for a secondary already done in your home or on your property. Moreover, you can only use the vouchers to install new secondary measures. Finally, you may not use Green Homes Grant to replace already installed secondary measures.
Eligible improvements include the following:
- Hot water tank insulation;
- Draught proofing;
- Double or triple glazing as an improvement to single glazing;
- secondary glazing as an addition to single glazing;
- external energy efficient replacement doors, this includes replacing doors that were installed prior to 2002, or install single glazed doors.
Additionally, the following heating control and insulation measures are covered by vouchers:
- Heating control: this includes things such as thermostatic radiator valves, intelligent delayed start thermostat, zone controls, smart heating controls and appliance thermostat;
- Hot water tank insulation;
- Hot water tank thermostat.
