Heat pumps are confirmed to be included in the government’s £2 billion Green Homes Grant as it urges tradespeople to register for MCS accreditation.
The Green Homes Grant was announced in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Summer Statement, with an aim of the government funding up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements of over 600,000 homes, however little detail was given on the technologies that would be eligible for funding.
It has today (4 August) been confirmed that both air source and ground source heat pumps will be included within this, with households able to claim vouchers of up to £5,000 to install one or more of the technologies available.
Households on low incomes can receive vouchers covering 100% of the costs up to £10,000.
The scheme will support 100,000 jobs in green construction according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), however installations must be done through either TrustMark or MCS accredited tradespeople.
Households will be offered a list of approved tradespeople in their local area, with the vouchers to be issued from the end of September once work is agreed.
“The Green Homes Grant is a vital part of our plan for jobs as we secure the UK’s economic recovery from coronavirus. This is going to be a green recovery with concern for our environment at its heart,” Sunak said.
Other technologies available in the Green Home Grant include solid wall, under-floor, cavity wall and roof insulation, solar thermal, double and triple glazing, energy efficient doors and hot water tank/appliance tank thermostats.
This is the second announcement recently made by the government supporting decarbonised heat, as it unveiled an extension to the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and the replacement of the domestic RHI with Clean Heat Grants.