In a surprise announcement this week, the UK government has announced an extension to the Green Homes Grant. The grant will now run until March 2022, this bridges the gap to the Clean Heat Grant and aligns with the end of the RHI timeframes.
The move was welcomed by Panasonic as Tony Lathey, UK Pre Sales Manager for Heat Pumps at Panasonic said: “We are delighted that the government is showing commitment to the green agenda, offering homeowners very real incentives to switch to renewable energy technologies. We are fully behind the new green 10-point plans for the Prime Minister’s ‘Green Industrial Revolution’. We have seen strong interest in our air source heat pumps for heating and hot water provision but extending the grant programme will ensure that more homeowners can access funding for their home energy improvement schemes and we anticipate this will greatly assist the market.”
The extension to the Green Homes Grant to March 2022 is most welcome and will bridge the gap to the Clean Heat Grant and aligns with the end of the RHI timeframes. The extension is in addition to a range of measures being taken. As well as helping to reduce carbon emissions, this will help safeguard and create many new jobs and career opportunities in the sector to further boost the economy and at the same time help achieve the net zero targets for a more sustainable future. Throughout this time, Panasonic is running a Cashback promotion to incentivise both installers and homeowners by offering cashback of up to £600* to homeowners and £800* to installers on their Aquarea heat pumps installations (*terms and conditions apply).
To help accelerate the plan, the government also announced that the potential ban on gas boilers in new homes has been brought forward to 2023[1], two years earlier than originally planned. Furthermore, the new 10-point Green Plan aims to deploy 600,000 energy efficient heat pumps to be installed in UK homes by 2028. Further investment has been pledged to encourage energy efficiency and cost savings for hospitals and schools by 2030 and stepped up thereafter to help meet the net zero targets of 2050 and further job creation.
Speaking on 17 November, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Although this year has taken a very different path to the one we expected, I haven’t lost sight of our ambitious plans to level up across the country. My Ten Point Plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050.”
Green Homes Grant
The Green Homes Grant came into effect in September 2020 and was due to end on 31 March 2021. It has come under much scrutiny from those within the industry, as it soon became evident that there is a need for more qualified accredited installers to carry out heat pump installations for UK homeowners. This is despite manufacturers, such as Panasonic, stepping up and increasing available training. This additional financial support will enable more homeowners to take advantage of the scheme to March 2022.
The Green Homes Grant scheme allows UK residents to be able to claim two-thirds of the cost of energy efficient home improvements up to a maximum value of £5,000 in the form of a voucher (with those on a low income who are owner occupiers and in receipt of income-based or disability benefits, getting 100% subsidy up to a maximum government contribution of £10,000)[2]. This grant includes the installation of domestic air source heat pumps as well as other energy-saving technologies.
Homeowners are able to apply for the Green Homes vouchers for installations from September 2020 with the work carried out via installers being a ‘TrustMark’[3] Registered Business and having MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme)[4] Accreditation covering the technology being installed, which will give households more confidence in their home improvement investments.
Looking to the future, as the road to recovery begins, manufacturers, such as Panasonic, are stepping up to the challenge to meet the net zero emission targets by 2050. For example, Panasonic is increasing its offering of sustainable energy solutions as well as increasing online training availability for installers by offering specific and accredited training courses to help installers become more efficient and knowledgeable in correctly installing air-to-water heat pumps.
Panasonic’s Aquarea range of air-to-water heat pumps is among the widest on the market, with systems available to suit all sizes of property and capacity requirements. For more information on Panasonic Air Source heat pumps or current training, please visit www.aircon.panasonic.co.uk.