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UK green homes grant axed as new energy efficiency funding unveiled
The UK government is to close its £2bn Green Homes Grant scheme on 31 March 2021, just six months after its inception.
The energy efficiency programme, which offered up to £10,000 to homeowners looking to upgrade inefficient boilers and improve draught insulation, had failed to win widespread support and had been hit by delays as would-be applicants struggled to get quotes for work from a busy building trade sector. It is reported that just 10% of the 600,000 homes eligible for the grant had signed up to the scheme.
The news came as the government also unveiled £300mn of funding that will focus on cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from England’s homes through energy efficiency and low carbon heating schemes.
Commenting on the new funding, Energy UK's Chief Executive, Emma Pinchbeck, said: ‘It’s good to see the government recognise that energy efficiency is critical to delivering their own net zero target.’ However, she also pointed out that scrapping the Green Homes Grant would ‘undermine trust’, and noted that £300mn was ‘not enough to close the gap with the government’s own net zero target’. She added: ‘We must see further action if we are to decarbonise our homes, so we hope to see bold commitments in line with the scale of the challenge in the forthcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy.’
