Green Homes Grant is extended for an extra year after Government was criticised

The Green Homes Grant scheme has been extended by a year, the Government has announced today.

Households looking to take advantage of the Grant will now have until 31 March 2022 to get improvement work completed.

The original deadline of 31 March 2021 was criticised with homeowners initially given just six months to both apply and have all work completed.

This is Money revealed experts were calling for an extension as many reputable traders are booked up months in advance, meaning households struggled to use the scheme.

The Green Homes Grant has been extended until March 2022 after backlash from households

Other concerns included traders doorstepping households claiming to be available for cut price work as part of the Grant.

Under the Green Homes Grant, the Government has made available 600,000 vouchers for energy efficiency improvements to homes and has set aside a budget of £2billion that households can apply for.

The date change is part of the Prime Minister’s ‘ten point plan for a green industrial revolution’ which also revealed there is to be a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. 

Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at Uswitch, said: ‘In the coming years, finding more environmentally friendly ways of heating our homes is going to be a significant part of working towards net zero, alongside the need to make sure our homes don’t leak the heat due to poor insulation.

‘But there may be eyebrows raised at some items on the list, with the previously launched Green Homes Grant being included as part of the plan, giving it more time to resolve its teething problems.

‘Many builders and installers have been failing to sign up to carry out the work, citing the accreditation process as a hurdle – which has left thousands of households so far unable to access the grant.’ 

The vouchers are worth up to £5,000 for a variety of energy efficiency and heating measures, such as insulation and double glazing, increasing to £10,000 for fuel poor homes.

However, many traders were found to be fully booked months in advance, meaning households couldn’t take advantage of the scheme.

Similarly, other applicants said they have been told they are not eligible for vouchers as they would first have work done which the Government describes as a ‘primary measure’.

Traders were found to be booked up months in advance, putting the scheme in jeopardy

Such primary measures include solid wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, under-floor insulation, loft insulation, flat or pitched roof insulation, roof insulation or insulating a park home.

However, many have said such primary measures are not appropriate for their home, meaning they are unable to access secondary measures, also covered by the Grant.

These include double or triple glazing, hot water tank insulation, draught proofing and heating controls.

Although households who have applied will only be offered a list of approved TrustMark and MCS registered tradespeople in their local area to carry out the work, trade firms also issued a warning to potential applicants to ensure they only hire reliable tradespeople. 

Mike Fairman, chief executive of Checkatrade, said: ‘We can understand why homeowners may be tempted to use a tradesperson who has immediate and ample availability, however this can sometimes be a sign of a rogue trade.

‘We’d recommend homeowners continue to be vigilant when choosing someone to carry out any works.’

Installers need to act in line with TrustMark’s code of conduct by respecting a consumer’s wishes not to receive unsolicited visits if they have stated so.

The Green Homes Grant scheme will never include official representatives coming to a property uninvited or cold calling on the phone to encourage households to join the scheme.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk