Green Homes Grant Scheme - Register Your Business?

The Rt Hon Alok Sharma

Tradespeople will be preparing for a busy time of year and with the government's new Green Homes Grant scheme, there’s even more opportunity to grow your business by becoming a registered installer says BEIS Minister Alok Sharma.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy says thousands of homeowners in England are looking for Green Homes Grant installers to help them heat their home for less.

Vouchers are available for up to £5,000 for most homeowners or £10,000 for low income households under the scheme, which runs until 31 March next year.

However, there has been much cynicism coming from the window & door market as those product are not in the group of 'primary measures' that homeowners must spend their vouchers on before getting to windows to replace single glazing or doors. However, there is no barrier to installer applying for training or becoming accredited to installer other energy savings systems.

 

How to get accredited

Ony 1,000 installers from different industries have signed up so far, meaning there is a huge shortage of those convinced to join in. But if you want to become a registered Green Homes Grant installer, first check out what qualifications you must already have and then follow these six steps:

1. Register as a certified installer with TrustMark. You will be added to a directory of certified installers, where homeowners can contact you to get a quote.

2. Register to be a Green Homes Grant Installer on GOV.UK. You will be asked to sign up to the Terms and Conditions of the scheme and provide your company’s details for payment. You will need to register for each of the scheme’s measures you are planning to carry out. You must have received confirmation that your registration has been successful before you offer to carry out work under the scheme.

3. Once registered, you can give quotes to customers. The price quoted should reflect the total costs of the installation including materials, labour and VAT. It should be your usual price and not be higher than the price you would have quoted if the installation was not being carried out under the scheme.

4. Once you give your quote to the customer, they can apply for a voucher. If approved, the voucher will contain your name or your business’s name. Vouchers cannot be used to help pay for works that were carried out before the voucher was issued.

5. When your customer receives their voucher, you can start work. You should not start any work until the customer’s application has been approved, they have been issued with a voucher and have asked you to go ahead with the work.

6. When the work is complete, you’ll be paid in 5 working days. You will be paid for the costs covered by the voucher once the work has been completed and you have confirmed you have received any customer contribution. The payment will come from the grant administrator.

Where a customer contribution is required, the customer contribution is a condition of voucher eligibility. Accepting non-payment to secure the work - or paying this yourself - will make the voucher invalid and constitute fraud.

For more information, and for a list of primary and secondary measures eligible under the Green Homes Grant Scheme, visit the GOV.UK.

 

Qualifications

To become a Green Homes Grant installer, you must already be certified to install energy efficiency measures against Publicly Available Specification (PAS) standards:

  • PAS 2030: 2017

  • PAS 2030: 2019

  • PAS 2035: 2019 (for park homes, high rise buildings and buildings that are both traditionally constructed and protected).

You must also be certified by a body that has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Picture: There is £2 billion of government money available for homeowners to upgrade their homes under the Green Homes Grant scheme, says BEIS Minister Alok Sharma.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
30th October 2020

Share



Related Articles