Air Source Heat Pumps Available on Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme
The UK government has unveiled details of it’s Green Homes Grant scheme and has confirmed that air source heat pumps are included in the range of energy saving measures available to homeowners in England.
The announcement reiterates the Government’s desire to only allow low carbon heating systems in new build homes from 2025 and to replace all existing fossil fueled heating systems with low carbon technology by 2035.
What is the Green Homes Grant?
The Green Homes Grant is a £2 billion scheme, announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak in the July’s summer statement, which offers eligible homeowners vouchers to make green upgrades to their home.
The scheme starts end September and offers up to £5,000 of vouchers (£10,000 for the poorest households) to fund up to two-thirds of the cost of the home improvements. The scheme will run until the end of March 2021 and is expected to support over 100,000 jobs in green construction.
Who is Eligible?
To apply for the voucher, you must either own your home or be a private or social landlord with a property in England.
Landlords cannot apply for the low-income portion of the scheme.
The scheme only applies to properties that have not previously been occupied, so new builds are excluded.
If you have already received a grant from your local authority as part of the Local Authority Delivery Scheme then you cannot apply for the vouchers.
Use the governments website to check if you are eligible.
What Home Improvements are Available?
The available measures are split into primary and secondary categories.
Households need to install at least one primary measure to qualify for funding. Secondary measures can only be supported up to amount of the subsidy provided for primary measures for example if you received a £1,500 voucher for a primary measure you can only receive up to £1,500 for a secondary measure.
Primary Measures
Insulation
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- solid wall
- under floor
- cavity wall
- loft
- flat roof
- room in roof
- insulating a park home
Low Carbon Heating
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- air source heat pump
- hybrid heat pump
- ground source heat pump
- solar thermal (liquid filled flat plate or evacuated tube collectors)
- biomass boilers
Vouchers cannot be used to replace insulation or low carbon heating measures that are already existing in your home but can be used to top up existing measures i.e. topping up loft insulation to meet recommended levels. There are also the following further additional requirements for low carbon heating measures which in particular outline requirements for hybrid set ups.
Secondary Measures
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- draught proofing
- double/triple glazing (where replacing single glazed windows)
- secondary glazing (in addition to single glazing)
- external energy efficient doors (replacing single glazed or solid doors installed before 2002)
- heating controls
- hot water tank thermostats and insulation
Heat pumps, along with insulation, falling into the primary category mean you have the opportunity to claim the full funding on offer to assist with the cost of transforming your home into a low carbon heated and energy efficient home.
The government backed Simple Energy Advice (SEA) website has a short survey which will recommend which home improvements are most suited to your property.
How Can Installers get Involved?
To ensure high standards and consumer protections only approved TrustMark accredited installers will be able to participate in the scheme. Sign up to become a TrustMark and Green Homes registered installer here.
All heat pump installers will also need a government-backed seal of approval by becoming registered for Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation.
Not already MCS accredited? We have experts that can talk you through the requirements and steps you need to take.
Can I Still Receive Domestic RHI Payments?
The domestic renewable heat incentive (Domestic RHI) is a government financial incentive scheme which pays the homeowner based on the amount of renewable heat their low carbon heating systems generate. Paid over 7 years in quarterly payments the scheme has the potential to pay back a large proportion of the initial cost installation.
You can claim both Domestic RHI and the Green Homes Grant for renewable heating installations. In order to take advantage both schemes you must first claim your green homes grant voucher, once received you then need to notify Ofgem that you are using the voucher when you apply for the Domestic RHI accreditation. The value of the voucher will then be deducted from your overall RHI incentive.
Use the governments RHI calculator to work out how much you money you could get through the RHI scheme.
How to Apply
The government has outlined 4 simple steps to apply for your vouchers
Complete the quick survey to check that you meet the criteria.
2. Discover which improvements are suitable for your property
Complete the survey which will ask questions about your property and recommend improvements. The process outputs a report which can be issued to installers when requesting quotations.
It is recommended to obtain 3 quotations from certified installers to make sure you are getting best value for money. You will need to provide copies of the quotations when you apply and you can use more than once installer if multiple measures are being installed. Do not commit to beginning any work until the voucher has been received.
You will receive a separate voucher for each measure you are undertaking and is only valid for named applicant, it is not transferrable and cannot be used for alternative measures. After the work is complete you can redeem the voucher and the grant will be paid directly to the installer on your behalf.
Further guidance can be found on the governments website but Oceanair are on hand to assist so feel free to call us if anything is unclear.
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