Last updated: 19th April 2021

The Green Homes Grant was a voucher scheme aimed at helping over 600,000 homes in England become more energy-efficient and providing local jobs for tradespeople, as well as making progress on the UK’s net zero carbon emissions by 2050 target. The scheme provided eligible homeowners and residential landlords with a voucher worth up to £5,000, or £10,000 for low income households, to cover at least two thirds of the cost of labour, materials and VAT for specific Green Homes Grant work.
Applications to get a Green Homes Grant voucher closed at 5pm on 31st March 2021. If you applied before the closing date, then your application will be processed and the Green Homes Grant team will be in touch to confirm if your application has been successful.
FAQs
Before the work starts in your home
Whilst the work’s being done in your home
- When can Green Homes Grant work start in my home?
- How long do I have to complete the Green Homes Grant work?
- What do I need to know about the work I’m getting done with my Green Homes Grant voucher?
- Which home improvements and services won’t be covered by my government green grant voucher?
- Can a tradesperson enter my home to install Green Homes Grant measures whilst the National Restrictions for coronavirus are in place?
After the work’s been done
- How does the tradesperson get paid?
- How do I redeem my Green Homes Grant voucher?
- What documents does the tradesperson need to give me once the work’s complete?
Other FAQs
- Can I use the government grant to claim money back for green upgrades have been completed in my home before the grant came into place?
- Can I complete Green Homes Grant work myself?
- Is there any support available for households in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Will my Green Homes Grant application be successful?

Your application may be successful if you submitted it by 31st March 2021 and you’re one of the following:
- A homeowner in England, including long-leaseholders and shared ownership homeowners.
- A park home owners in England, for residential sites including Gypsy and Traveller sites.
- A landlord of a private or social rented sector domestic property (including LA owned homes) in England.
Do I have to pay a deposit?
The installer may ask you for a deposit. It can’t be larger than the amount they’d normally charge, or larger than your expected contribution to the cost of the work under the quote they’ve given you. If you’re applying as a low income household, then the installer can’t ask you for a deposit unless the cost of the work is over £10,000 (the government limit). If that’s the case, then the installer can only ask for a deposit on the amount that’s over £10,000.
When can Green Homes Grant work start in my home?

As soon as your Green Homes Grant application has been approved. You shouldn’t commit to starting any work until you have been successfully issued with a voucher.
How long do I have to complete Green Homes Grant work?
You must finish the work at least 7 days before your Green Homes Grant voucher expires. Vouchers usually expire 3 months from the date they’re issued.
What do I need to know about the work I’m getting done with my Green Homes Grant voucher?

You will need to install at least one of the two following primary measures using the grant:
1. Insulation, for:
- Solid walls (internal or external).
- Cavity walls.
- Under floor (solid floor or suspended floor).
- Loft.
- Flat roof.
- Pitched roof.
- Room in roof.
- Park home.
If you choose to install external solid wall insulation, then you must have all suitable space on the wall insulated. Similarly, if you choose to have internal solid wall insulation installed, you must insulate all external-facing space in the room.
If your home’s already partially insulated, then you can use the government green grant to insulate the rest. However, you can’t use the grant to remove or replace existing insulation.
2. Low carbon heat

- Air source heat pumps.
- Ground source heat pumps.
- Hybrid heat pumps.
- Solar thermal (liquid filled flat plates or evacuated tube collectors).
- Biomass boilers.
If you opt for a low carbon heat measure, then it must be used for space heating and/or domestic hot water heating purposes. It can’t be used for process heating, outdoor heating or heating swimming pools, for example.
Any heat pump installed in your home must have a minimum Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF) of 2.5. In addition, the heat pump element of any hybrid heat pump system must be able to provide the majority of the space heating demand for your home.
The government has stated that biomass boiler installations must:
- Have a valid emissions certificate for the make and model.
- Only use fuel that is authorised on the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) and that has been tested for on the specific biomass boiler’s emissions certificate, for the lifetime of the installation.
- Have a valid BSL fuel number for the intended fuel (which you’ll need to submit).
- Only be installed in rural areas.
To have a low carbon heat measure installed, you must:
- Declare that you have planning permission, or that it isn’t required. Visit the Planning Portal website to find out how to get planning permission.
- Service any low carbon energy measures installed in your home in line with the manufacturer’s instructions, for the lifetime of the installation.
There’s a minimum level of insulation recommended to have the low carbon heat measures installed. This is to ensure the proper design and operation of the relevant technology in line with specific standards. So, you may need to have some insulation installed in your home.
If you have a low carbon heat measure installed in your home through the Green Homes Grant scheme, then the grant will also cover the costs of:
- Pipework, pumps and valves, and fitting.
- Buffer tank and domestic hot water cylinders.
- Heating system controls.
- New underfloor heating.
- New high capacity radiators.

If you already have one, or both, of the primary measures already installed in your home, then you can’t replace it using the Green Homes Grant. However, top ups are allowed, for example installing additional loft insulation up to the recommended level.
As long as you have one of the primary measures included in your Green Homes Grant package, then the government will give you the same amount towards the cost of one or more of the following secondary measures:
3. Windows and doors
- Draught proofing.
- Double/triple glazing, where replacing single glazing.
- Secondary glazing, in addition to single glazing.
- Upgrading to energy efficient doors, where replacing single glazed or solid doors installed before 2002.
4. Heating controls and insulation
- Hot water tank thermostats.
- Hot water tank insulation.
- Heating controls such as appliance thermostats, smart heating controls, zone controls, intelligent delayed start thermostats or thermostatic radiator valves.
The grant also covers the following common items, when related to one or more of the primary or secondary measures:
- Professional services to ensure compliance with building standards, such as:
- Detailed design drawings and calculations.
- Damp specialist and structural engineer costs.
- Modelling to evaluate moisture risk or to estimate payback.
- Air tightness tests to check for excessive infiltration and ensure adequate controlled ventilation.
- Contractor costs, including labour, materials, scaffolding, waste removal and VAT costs.
- Reasonable work to support the retrofit:
- Necessary structural improvements such as repairs to brickwork or floor joists.
- Repairing and treating damp.
- Resolving and eliminating excessive infiltration.
- Repairing and improving controlled ventilation.
Secondary measures can only be subsidised up to the amount of subsidy provided for primary measures. So for example, if you receive a £1,000 voucher for primary measures, then you can only receive a maximum of £1,000 for your secondary measures. You’ll need to redeem your voucher for the primary measure(s) that you have installed before being able to redeem your voucher for your secondary measure(s).
Which home improvements and services won’t be covered by my government green grant voucher?
The following green home improvements are some examples of what’s not covered by the Green Homes Grant:
- Building a new extension or conversion.
- Installing a new fossil fuel boiler (e.g. gas or oil boilers).
- Insulation to outbuildings, conservatories without fixed heating, new extensions built to current building permissions or extensions without building permission, planning permission or fixed heating.
- New windows (unless it’s double or triple glazing to replace single glazing).
Also, the Green Homes Grant scheme can’t be used to replace an existing low carbon heating system in your home. Excluding solar thermal, any low carbon heat measure that you have installed must completely replace your current fossil fuel heating system. For the hybrid heat pump measure, this means that you’ll need to get a new fossil fuel element for your heating system – this won’t be covered by the grant.
You can’t use the grant for the following related services:
- Contractor costs for things such as training, asbestos removal and additional building insurance premiums or certification fees.
- Professional services that aren’t linked to a retrofit, such as buying an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), building surveys and building design, modelling and calculations.
- Householder costs for furniture storage or removal or alternative accommodation costs during any disruption.
- Building work for:
- Retrofit measures that aren’t identified in the list of eligible home improvements.
- Changes to your home that aren’t linked to energy efficiency improvements, such as general repairs, underpinning, changing a window design or area, re-roofing, electricity or gas safety work and damp proofing.
- Boiler replacements or repairs.
- Decorations that aren’t linked to a retrofit.
- The cost of any advice that you get on the improvements which are best for your home.
Can a tradesperson enter my home to install Green Homes Grant measures whilst the National Restrictions for coronavirus are in place?
Yes. The government has confirmed that Green Homes Grant installers can continue to work inside homes whilst the national lockdown is in place. They must follow the COVID-19 Secure guidelines.
How does the tradesperson get paid?

Once you’ve been issued with a Green Homes Grant voucher, the work can begin! When it’s done, you’ll need to pay your share of the cost to the installer (if applicable). Then, you can redeem your voucher and the grant will be paid directly to the installer.
How do I redeem my Green Homes Grant voucher?
You need to have:
- Your reference number, that you recieved when you first applied for the Green Homes Grant.
- The postcode of the property where the Green Homes Grant work has been done.
- The email address that you used to apply.
- Your voucher number.
- The final cost of the work, including VAT as applicable.
- A digital copy of your dated invoice.
You’ll also need to confirm that:
- The installation was done satisfactorily.
- You’ve got the necessary certification documents from the installer used.
- You’ve paid your share to the installer, if applicable.
Then, you can redeem your voucher on Gov.uk.
What documents does the tradesperson need to give me once the work’s complete?

After the work’s done, your installer needs to give you:
- A dated copy of an invoice, which shows the supply and installation cost of their chosen measures, within 14 days of completing the work. You need to provide 1 invoice for each measure that you have installed in your home.
- Any relevant certification for energy efficiency improvement measures.
- Any claim of conformity or handover packs (as according to the relevant PAS).
- A guarantee document.
- An MCS certificate, MCS compliance certificate and the relevant manufacturer instructions, if you’ve had a low carbon heating measure installed.
- A Biomass Suppliers List, including instructions stating that all fuel used in the boiler must be bought from the BSL, if you’ve had a biomass fuelled low carbon heating system installed.
Can I use the government grant to claim money back for green upgrades have been completed in my home before the grant came into place?
No – the government recently confirmed that the Green Homes Grant can’t be used to pay for works carried out before the voucher is issued.
Can I complete Green Homes Grant work myself?

No. The government has stated that Green Homes Grant work can’t be completed by yourself, a member of your household or your immediate family.
Is there any support available for households in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
The Green Homes Grant is only available in England, however there are other initiatives available for other areas in the UK:
- Northern Ireland: The Housing Executive
- Scotland: Energy Saving Trust
- Wales: The Nest Scheme

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