Households looking to take advantage of the Green Homes Grant will now have until 31 March 2022 to get improvement work completed.

The original deadline of 31 March 2021 was criticised with homeowners initially given just six months to both apply and have all work completed.

The £2bn Green Homes Grant, revealed by chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier this year, aims to boost the economy and help households become more energy efficient, with more than 600,000 homes eligible for the grant.

Hundreds of thousands of property owners, including buy-to-let landlords, are currently permitted to apply for vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, with the poorest getting up to £10,000, as part of plans unveiled by the government in July.

A wide range of energy saving works are eligible for grants, with works split into primary and secondary categories.
In order to qualify for any funding, homeowners must install at least one of the following measures in the primary category:

+ Insulation (such as loft, cavity wall or under-floor insulation); and/or

+ Low carbon heating (such as air source heat, ground source heat pump or solar thermal).

Reflecting on the extension to the Green Homes Grant until 31st March 2022, Checkatrade CEO Mike Fairman said: “We welcome the government’s extension of the Green Homes Grant scheme to help bolster the trade economy through the promotion of energy saving home improvements and providing increased job opportunities throughout the winter months.

“This year-long extension will allow homeowners more time to book a reputable tradesperson, however this doesn’t solve the skills gap which has been prohibiting thousands of homeowners from taking up the grants. Put simply, there still aren’t enough trained and qualified tradespeople to carry out the work – we know some of our accredited members are being contacted by homeowners over 50 miles from their usual patches as demand far outstrips supply.

“Until better investment is made in training and upskilling professionals, we’re likely to see many homeowners experience the same issues, irrespective of any extensions to the scheme.”