What does the Green Homes Grant mean for boilers?
7th September 2020 | Residential Energy
The government has announced a £2bn Green Homes Grant that is set to improve the efficiency of around 600,000 homes. From September 2020 until March 2021 homeowners and landlords can apply for a grant of up to £5,000 (£10,000 for low-income households) to support the installation of energy-efficient measures.
The energy-efficient measures covered by the grant include the installation of a renewable heating system and improving the loft, floor or cavity wall insulation. Surprisingly, despite boilers being used in over 20 million UK homes, there’s no mention of them as part of the Green Homes Grant. For the UK to achieve its target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 the efficiency of homes needs to improve.
Green Homes Grant
It’s estimated that around 20% of all UK carbon emissions come from home heating and this is mainly because 85% of homes rely on natural gas – a fossil fuel that emits carbon into the atmosphere when burned. Great strides have been made to make boilers more efficient in recent years – none more so than condensing boiler technology. Condensing boilers are highly efficient alternatives to non-condensing boilers as they’re able to generate more heat from the same amount of fuel.
Non-condensing boilers achieve a maximum efficiency of around 75%, while condensing boilers reach efficiencies of over 90%. Not only does a more efficient boiler emit fewer carbon emissions, but they also help to lower energy bills too. However, of the 24 million boilers in the UK, up to 6 million are non-condensing. Replacing these non-condensing boilers with condensing models would go a long way to reducing carbon emissions from home heating.
Although homeowners can’t receive funding for a boiler replacement through the Green Homes Grant, support is available elsewhere. The Energy Company Obligation Scheme (ECO3) entitles homeowners and private tenants on certain benefits to a grant that can cover the entire cost of a new boiler.
More information available on the website below
https://environmentjournal.online/articles/what-does-the-green-homes-grant-mean-for-boilers/