Rumours have been circulating for a while now but, in spite of Government confirmation that it would continue (as recently as just a couple of days ago), the ill fated Green Homes Grant scheme is to be completely axed from the end of March 2021 – a year early!
The original anouncement of the introduction of the scheme was published via the Government website on 4th August 2020. The full details of this anouncement can be accessed here >>>. It was originally due to run for 6 months, this got extended until April 2022 but, in a significant u-turn, it now ends virtually right away with no applications being accepted from 1st April 2021.
In respect of double glazing grants in the UK it was never going to transform the market but, nevertheless it still was providing some support which will be missed. The industry waits to find out what comes next!
Green Homes Grant Scrapped
Launched only 6 months ago as a £1.5bn flagship environmental initialtive to financially support the upgrade of privately owned residential properties with more efficient insulation and low carbon heating, the Green Homes Grant scheme is no more! An embarrasment to the Government and a blow to the industry without doubt and it’s already being compared to the highly publicised failure of its predecessor the Green Deal which was scrapped under similar circumstances several years ago.
You have to feel for all those organisations and companies who had invested in the Green Homes Grant which was originally planned as a 6 month scheme to end on March 31st 2021 but was quickly extended by a further 12 months. Time and money spent on training and Trust-Mark accreditation, investment in infrastructure to manage the significant levels on enquiries, not to mention recruitment to handle the installations – it will all impact on those companies who have set themselves up to deliver on the targets just as they did under the Green Deal.
That aside, we’re not here to go into political ramblings – we’re here to tell you what his now means in respect of double glazing grants in the UK in 2021.
The Impact On UK Double Glazing Grants 2021
To be honest the impact of the axing of the Green Homes Grant scheme to the UK double glazing industry is pretty minimal.
The grant scheme allowed both homeowners and private landlords to access funds of up to £10,000 which could be used to fund environmental efficiency home improvement measures. To access the funding the property owners needed to apply for a voucher to install one or more primary measures which included the following:
- Insulation, including solid wall, under-floor, cavity wall or roof insulation.
- Low carbon heating systems such as air source or ground source heat pumps.
- Solar thermal systems which basically means solar panels.
It was only then that they could also apply for a grant (up to the same value as the primary measures) for secondary measures which included:
- Double glazing, triple glazing or secondary glazing.
- An upgrade to energy efficient doors.
- Thermostats and heating controls for hot water and appliance tanks.
So, double glazing grants were never a priority or defined as a primary measure. In addition the double glazing grants did NOT go towards the upgrade of an existing double glazed system (no matter how much more efficient it may be). It only covered the installation of double glazing as an upgrade from old single glazing. For that reason it was never going to transform the double glazing industry so the impact is not going to be that negative.
Double Glazing Grants – What’s Next In 2021?
The answer to this question is that we don’t know yet. It’s pretty certain that there will be a further Green Homes Grant type scheme but we don’t know what it will be and when it will be launched as yet. We would say it’s unlikey that there will be anything for 2021 though. It’s obvious that the Government will be hugely embarassed by this failure to jump into anything else straight away … they need to make sure the next scheme really does work.
What they have said is that the money they had set aside for the Green Homes Grant scheme in 2021/22 will be allocated to a local authority scheme. This means that some £300m of additional funding goes to local authorities to support home improvements and particularly targetting lower income households.
For that reason you local authority should be your first port of call in respect of double glazing grants UK 2021.
We await to find out what comes next and will keep you informed.
Double Glazing Grants 2021 – Conclusion
Unless you’re within the low income bracket you’re going to struggle to find double glazing grants in 2021. That said the industry is doing a great job itself in providing incentives and supporting the cost on new or replacement double glazing. That means it could still be a great time to buy – interest rates are low, payment can be spread in a ver cost effective way and the industry needs to recover post Covid.
Therefore give your local double glazing companies a call … you may be pleasantly surprised!
