Energy Efficiency

The latest Green Homes Grant statistics to come from the government show that less than a sixth of the initial projected 600,000 homes will receive vouchers. The statistics – which cover up to the end of March 2021, when the scheme shuttered to new applications – show that a total of 113,725 household applications were made, however with 17,977 of these rejected or withdrawn and a further 42,861 pending approval, the maximum households to receive vouchers comes in at 95,748. Of these applications, there were 166,924 individual voucher applications, with 43,535 of these vouchers issued, equivalent to 33%. However, only 6,742 vouchers have been paid, up from 2,908 at the end of February. The number of measures installed by the end of March was 10,274, which is a significant increase on the 5,804 installed by the end of February.

Current 23rd April 2021 read more »

The UK Green Building Council is calling for the government to reform stamp duty to incentivise houseowners to make their homes more energy efficient, warning that urgent action is needed to drive long-term consumer appetite for green home retrofits. In a report published this week, the trade body called for the government to embed an “energy adjustment nudge” to stamp duty land tax that would adjust the tax up or down dependent on the property’s energy use and carbon emissions.

Business Green 23rd April 2021 read more »

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has warned that “actions speak louder than words” following the early closure of the Green Homes Grant. In a letter addressed to energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, the EAC has called for clarity for contractors and homeowners after the scheme was closed to new applicants last month. It said that while the rationale given for the closure was that the delivery challenges for the scheme has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence from the EAC – including a survey of over 500 households – found no evidence that COVID-19 restrictions had an impact on demand for – or delivery of – the programme. The committee went on to criticise the government for failing to consider recommendations it made in a report sent to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) a week before the scheme was announced to be shuttered.

Current 22nd April 2021 read more »

Less than £200m of the £2bn of vouchers initially promised under the UK’s Green Homes Grant Scheme has been issued, new official Government figures show. The Green Homes Grant was launched last summer as part of the Government’s broader green recovery approach. It originally had a £2bn budget and was set to help 600,000 UK homes with the cost of retrofitting schemes to improve energy efficiency. But, after claiming that the UK’s retrofitting services sector did not have enough tradespeople qualified to conduct accredited works, and receiving many applications from homes that did not meet the accreditation criteria, the Government pulled £1.5bn of the funding earlier this year. The move proved almost universally unpopular.

Edie 22nd April 2021 read more »

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) of MPs has offered an excoriating assessment of the government’s controversial handling of the axed Green Homes Grant, warning the closure of the scheme with minimal notice could undermine progress on retrofitting homes in the owner occupied and private rented sectors. In a sharply worded letter to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, the Committee this week expressed its disappointment at the way in which its recent recommendations to reform the scheme were ignored and called for an explanation as to how MPs proposals were considered as part of the decision to scrap the scheme.

Business Green 21st April 2021 read more »

Who should be responsible for making rented homes in Britain greener? At the moment, the Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) regulations set a minimum energy efficiency level for domestic private rented properties, meaning the Government is putting the onus on landlords to upgrade their properties and cut carbon emissions. Since 1 April 2020, landlords have been unable to let or continue to let properties covered by the MEES regulations if they have an EPC rating below E, unless they have a valid exemption in place. This is set to get stricter with the Government committing to look at a “long-term trajectory to improve the energy performance standards of privately rented homes in England and Wales, with the aim for as many of them as possible to be upgraded to EPC Band C by 2030, where practical, cost-effective and affordable”. In order to achieve this in practice, landlords will have to carry out a range of refurbishments to properties that are currently considered to have low energy efficiency. Replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, installing cavity and wraparound insulation and switching supply to renewable sources are just a few of the steps needed to cut the 65 million tonnes of carbon dioxide produced by British homes each year since 2014. Yet exclusive data provided to i by buy-to-let specialist Mortgages for Business, shows that most landlords are reluctant to spend the money needed to make these improvements. Almost two thirds of private landlords, some 62 per cent, say they do not plan to switch gas boilers to heat pumps in their lets until the law makes it compulsory. More worryingly, 38 per cent of landlords say they cannot afford to invest in making their rental properties more energy efficient.

iNews 17th April 2021 read more »

Andrew Warren: Why was the Green Homes Grant scheme scrapped so quickly? It is vital the government come up with a series of new initiatives to ensure Boris Johnson’s proud green boasts to the UN really do become a reality in our housing stock. It is just nine months since the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced he was launching a new Green Homes grant scheme, allocating an initial £1.5bn over the opening six-month period from October 2020.

Business Green 14th April 2021 read more »