Government confirmation that the Green Home Grant will not include boilers works has been questioned by a leading manufacturer.
Martyn Bridges, director of technical communication and product management at Worcester Bosch, said: “Although we support any scheme that actively tries to improve the efficiency of UK homes, the fact that upgrading boilers is not included in this grant is an oversight. There are still anything up to 6 million non-condensing boilers in operation so upgrading to a high efficiency condensing boiler would have made a significant improvement to these homes.
“Another concern is that tradespeople need to be TrustMark or MCS accredited registered companies to undertake the work. The overwhelming majority of heating installation businesses are not members as they are small, one-man operated businesses. Therefore, while we will end up with more efficient properties for homeowners, there will be no great job retention outcome for the businesses that are not able to take advantage of this grant.
“However, it is pleasing to see that if one of the listed primary measures has been installed then a secondary measure would be eligible for “matched” funding. The secondary measures include smart controls which again will add efficiency savings to the property.”