Green Homes Grant Scheme hot and cold

Stewart Clements, Director, HHIC continued;

‘Announced in the recent mini-budget on July 8th, the Green Homes Grant scheme aims to deal with green home improvements whilst providing employment.’

‘HHIC welcomes the release of the scheme details. Industry can now plan and respond accordingly. We think this could be an interesting scheme to raise the profile of low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps and solar.

‘HHIC has recently launched a “Heat Pump Charter” aimed at ensuring the best consumer experience is obtained when heat pumps are installed, replacing other systems. Giving consumers confidence that their new heating system will deliver the affordability, warmth, and comfort they expect.’

However, there is of course disappointment that options for the consumer appear limited. We believe it would have made greater sense to include a wider set of home improvement measures such as new hot water cylinders, heating controls, and radiators.’

‘Currently, hot water storage offers the only inexpensive practical solution for storing energy and banking it for when it needs to be used. We believe this is a missed opportunity.’

‘Tradespeople must also register for TrustMark, or the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation to take part in the scheme. Government, of course, have a duty to protect consumers who sign up to the scheme, but we believe that the mechanisms for quality assurance are already in place through Building Regulations. Better policing and adherence to current standards is needed. We hope that this inclusion does not result in higher consumer costs and lower numbers of small businesses benefitting.’

‘HHIC also notes that funding is due to finish in March 2021, which is a relatively small window, especially in the current climate. We would anticipate future funding will be required to avoid a boom and bust situation.’