The Money Saving Expert’s Martin Lewis shared how homeowners can qualify for £5,000 ($6,586) worth of home improvement vouchers through the government’s Green Homes Grant in his latest Money Tips email.
Homeowners in England can apply for £5,000 — or £10,000 for the lowest income households — of energy-saving home improvements through the £2bn scheme, which was announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak in July’s budget, and will be available from September. The deal is not available in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Lewis shared updates on what the grant will cover in the weekly email, to which 12 million people are subscribed. This follows the release of further details from the government.
To quality for any home improvements, homeowners must be installing either insulation — solid wall, cavity wall, under-floor, loft or roof — or low-carbon heating, such as air source or ground source heat pumps, or solar thermal systems, the email explains.
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Those who already have these measures in their homes can use the vouchers to “top up” — such as adding more insulation until it reaches the recommended height — but not replace them, The Money Expert said.
Additionally, those installing low-carbon heating will have to already have, or also install “adequate” insulation.
Secondary measures covered by the scheme include draught proofing, double or triple glazing for those who currently only have single, energy-efficient doors to replace those installed before 2002, and various heating controls.
However, homeowners will only qualify for secondary measure funding up to the amount awarded for primary measures — meaning someone who received £1,000 for insulation would also only receive £1,000 for triple-glazing or new doors.
READ MORE: Millions of Brits can't afford to go green, study finds
For most homeowners, the vouchers will cover two-thirds the cost of these improvements, but for the worst-off low-income households, they could cover the entire cost, the government said.
What’s more, the measures could save homeowners up to £300 a year on energy bills, Sunak claimed in his announcement speech.
Over half of homeowners across the country, if not significantly more, could end up applying.