On 10 December 2014 the government announced further funding under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund, with an additional £100 million to be released for household energy efficiency improvements in England and Wales over the next 9 months. £30 million was released for the December 2014 – February 2015 period of which £24 million was for solid wall insulation and £6 million for other improvements including boiler replacement. Within 24 hours of the scheme starting, the quarterly allocation of £24 million for solid wall insulation was fully allocated.
The replacement boiler element of the scheme has fairly onerous requirements and requires the householder to implement at least two energy saving measures from a list. So the scheme is not suitable for anyone wanting to replace a boiler without making other improvements. The list includes:
- Replacing an old non-condensing boiler with a new condensing boiler
- Cavity wall insulation
- Secondary glazing
- Double/triple glazing (replacing single glazing)
- Flat roof insulation
- Replacement warm air unit
- Fan-assisted storage heaters
- Energy efficient replacement doors – at least two external doors to be improved
- Floor insulation – at least 50% of ground floor
- Room-in-roof insulation – must insulate all of the roof
- Waste water heat recovery
To qualify for the scheme you will need a Green Deal energy assessment or an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) less than 24 months old and the two energy saving measures you apply for must be mentioned on the assessment. If you have had an EPC assessment on your home you can retrieve the certificate to check what improvements were identified by visiting EPC Register and keying in your postcode.
You can apply to receive upto a £1,000 voucher if you provide quotes from a Green Deal registered installer for the two energy saving measures mentioned on the EPC or Green Deal assessment. If you have moved into the property in the last 12 months you can claim an additional £500.
Once the voucher is issued by DECC you will have 6 months to complete the work using an appropriate Green Deal registered installer. Once the work is complete you return the voucher to DECC for payment.
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