Why was the Green Homes Grant Scrapped?

March 29, 2021

Professionally Maintained Mini Diggers, Skidsteers, Loaders, Rollers & Bowsers, Stevenage

The government has scrapped the Green Homes Grant scheme, which was extended for another year to March 2022. The scheme aimed to deliver £2bn worth of home improvements over 6 months, but it became obvious this wasn’t achievable, which is why it was extended. There have been a number of ‘difficult to overcome’ obstacles that have hindered the progress of the scheme. Too much small print and a lack of accredited installers are just two of them. The scheme never took off and will be filed along with other UK ‘energy efficiency’ schemes that failed such as the Green Deal.

Many believed that offering money to home owners to make their homes more energy efficient could not fail. Subsidies and grants may be a good idea in theory, but the process was lacking. The government also decided against rolling over unspent money from this year’s budget to next year, signalling it’s lack of faith. The decision hasn’t been popular with one organisation, namely the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). They believe that the government should have allowed the scheme to continue for another year.

Brian Berry, chief executive of FBM said: “The misguided scrapping of the Green Homes Grant scheme sends entirely the wrong message to consumers and builders, and will harm the UK’s desire to be seen as a global leader in tackling climate change.

“Flaws with the scheme should have been addressed, in consultation with industry, with a commitment to training. Instead we have another example of a stop-go green initiative that undermines, rather than creates, certainly for both the public and installers.

He added: “Small, local builders who have spent thousands of pounds becoming eligible for work under the scheme rightly feel let down and angry. Without these workers on the government’s side, we will fail to retrofit our 28 million existing homes, missing the opportunities for green growth, new jobs, and to level up”.

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