In response to the recent Government announcement ending the
Green Homes Grant scheme, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC)
has written to the Business Secretary calling for clarity for
contractors and homeowners.
Despite the EAC calling for the Green Homes Grant to be urgently
overhauled and extended within its recent report, Energy
Efficiency in Existing Homes, it appears the Government has
failed to consider the report’s recommendations. A week after
report publication, the Government announced its intention to end
the scheme, directly rejecting the EAC’s recommendation for the
scheme not to be scrapped or quietly wound down.
UK homes account for 20% of the country’s greenhouse gas
emissions, and with 19 million homes failing to achieve EPC
rating C, there is a pressing need to make homes more energy
efficient. The EAC looks forward to the Heat and Building
Strategy and what provisions may be made for a multi-year energy
efficiency programme within the next Spending Review.
The EAC welcomes the increased funding and extended timescale for
the Local Authority Delivery element of the Green Homes Grant and
for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. However, as
expressed within its report, the EAC stressed that this would
only be effective in areas where local authorities have
appropriate resource and capacity, otherwise a ‘postcode lottery’
is likely to ensue.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon MP, said:
“We have been clear all along: the Green Homes Grant was a good
initiative but was poorly implemented.
“This Government has shown its willingness to be an environmental
world leader, but I fear its green credentials risk being
undermined by poor policy decisions. Actions speak louder than
words, and simply abandoning a critically important
decarbonisation scheme when cracks appeared sets a poor example
in the year we aim to show climate leadership.
“Cutting emissions starts at home. The homes we live in
contribute a huge amount of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, so
undertaking effective retrofits and stemming those emissions is
key to reaching net zero by 2050. Businesses need to get behind
low-carbon housing and have the confidence to upskill employees.
Householders need to get behind low-carbon housing and understand
how energy efficiency can be enhanced and heating costs cut.
Above all, the Government must get behind low-carbon housing and
comprehend the complexity of decarbonising our housing stock,
committing to initiatives essential to make net zero Britain a
reality.”
Notes for editors
- The EAC’s report, Energy
Efficiency of Existing Homes, was published on 22 March.
- On 11 December, the EAC wrote to then-Energy
Minister following its survey on the Green Homes Grant,
held between 2 and 16 November which received 510 responses.
The response was received on
22 January.
- The Government announced the closure of
the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme on 27 March.
