GHG has paid for just 325 low-carbon heating installs

Just 325 low-carbon heat devices were installed through the government’s £2 billion Green Homes Grant (GHG) voucher scheme over five months, new government figures show.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) issued the first statistical release today (18 February) outlining progress on the rollout of the troubled scheme, which was launched in September last year to help pay for energy efficiency and low-carbon heating upgrades.

According to the figures, 38 per cent of the applications from 69,200 households for vouchers were approved by the end of January, while a further three per cent were withdrawn or rejected.

Another 12 per cent of applications were being processed and checked for eligibility, while additional information was being sought from applicants for a further 46 per cent.

The highest number of applications received was in October 2020, soon after the scheme launched.

Just over 21,000 vouchers have been issued.

Of the 2,777 measures installed so far, 88 per cent were for insulation with low carbon heat accounting for most of the remaining 12 per cent.

Air source heat pumps accounted for the biggest number of low carbon heating measures (155) followed by solar thermal devices (133).

However, these figures were dwarfed by loft insulation, which was the most common measure installed at 1,082, equivalent to 39 per cent of the total. A further 27 per cent of measures installed were for cavity wall insulation.

Of the total GHG installations, 799 were in low-income households, which are able to access up to £10,000 worth of grants through the scheme, twice the £5,000 that general owner occupiers and landlords can apply for. The low-income households were more likely than households overall to install low carbon heat with a quarter choosing this option.

On average, each household applied for one and a half measures.

Under the scheme, homeowners or landlords can apply for one primary measures, such as loft insulation and low-carbon heat, and a secondary measure, eg double glazing.

The biggest regional uptake of the scheme was in the south east where 22 per cent of measures were installed followed narrowly by the east of England (21 per cent), while the north west and Yorkshire and Humberside both accounted for 10 per cent.

The release also shows that a total of 1,669 companies have registered for the Trustmark accreditation which installers must obtain in order to carry out GHG funded work.

The publication of the figures follows stiff criticism, led by the House of Commons environmental audit committee, about the sluggish roll out of the GHG scheme.