The final month of the Green Homes Grant scheme saw a surge in applications, new government figures show.
According to the latest monthly statistics for the troubled energy efficiency and home heat decarbonisation scheme, which were published today (22 April), there were 31,000 applications for vouchers in March.
This was the highest monthly number recorded since October last year, which immediately followed the scheme’s launch.
Of last month’s applications, more than half (16,900) were submitted in the final four days of the month following the announcement on 27 March that it was being cancelled. The scheme was closed to applications on 31 March.
However, with some households having applied for more than one measure, the scheme looks set to benefit 95,700 households, which is less than one-sixth the 600,000 target figure when it was launched.
The statistics also show that a majority of applications for vouchers were from low-income households.
Of the 113,700 applications for the GHG voucher scheme, 79,400 applications for vouchers were from low-income households.
Low-income households were also more likely to apply for vouchers to fund primary measures, such as insulation and heat pumps, rather than secondary measures, like double glazing.
Insulation measures accounted for just over half of voucher applications from low-income households, with 24 per cent for low-carbon heat.
The north west had seen the largest number of voucher applications to the end of March 2021, at more than 24,400, which was equivalent to 19 per cent of voucher applications in England.
London had the lowest application rate on a per household basis.
For all measures installed, the average government contribution was £3,500, while for low-income households it was £5,860.
Under the scheme, low-income households could apply for vouchers worth up to £10,000, while the cap was £5,000 for other.
However only 10,300 measures have been installed and 6,700 vouchers paid from the scheme so far.
The majority of measures installed so far are insulation measures (81 per cent) with low-carbon heat accounting for most of the remaining 19 per cent.
Commenting on the data, Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit Analyst Jess Ralston said: “The public message on decarbonising Britain’s homes cannot be clearer. Sky-high interest from the outset and a final surge just before its premature end demonstrates an overwhelming desire for a Green Homes Grant successor that can actually keep up with demand.
“We can also see that households are up for improvements that were previously thought to be unpopular; solid wall insulation and low carbon heating each account for a fifth of total applications. This new evidence, alongside lessons learnt from the green homes grant, should give policy makers confidence to deliver the ambitious scheme that millions of families are desperate for.”