Nearly two thirds of homeowners in England are interested in the government’s Green Homes Grants, according to a new poll, suggesting that demand for the scheme could hugely outstrip funds available.
Polling conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the Energy and Climate Intelligence (ECIU) thinktank shows 62 per cent expressed interest in the £2 billion home upgrades grant scheme, which is due to go live tomorrow (30 September).
And 25 per cent are “very interested” in the grants, according to the poll. The ECIU has calculated that this proportion equates to six million households, which is ten times the 600,000 energy efficiency improvement vouchers that the government expects to dish out through the scheme.
Of those who own homes considered to have poor energy efficiency, 66 per cent were interested in the grant.
However more than half (54 per cent) of respondents owning or renting homes with poor energy efficiency had not yet heard of the grant.
Commenting on the poll’s findings, ECIU analyst Jess Ralston said the level of interest in the scheme was “not surprising”.
Peter Smith, director of policy and research at the fuel poverty charity National Energy Action, said the level of interest in the grant scheme tallied with its own research showing strong public support for energy efficiency work.
Derek Horrocks, chair of the National Insulation Association, called for the scheme to be extended beyond next March when it is currently due to expire.
He said: “Further commitment to a grant system like this will provide businesses with the financial confidence to further invest in upskilling new and existing employees and will get them ready to meet the evidently high demand for energy efficiency measures from households in every region.
“We should treat this as a pilot scheme for longer term spend on energy efficiency: if take up goes as well as hoped, this could be the start of something huge.”
The GHG vouchers are worth up to £5,000 for a variety of energy efficiency and heating measures, such as insulation and double glazing, increasing to £10,000 for fuel poor homes.