Guidance

Green Homes Grant: customer terms and conditions

Published 30 September 2020

This guidance was withdrawn on

The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme is closed.

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2020

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-homes-grant-terms-and-conditions/customers

Definitions

Words and expressions used in these installer terms and conditions have the meanings given to them in Annex A of these installer terms and conditions.

Any references in these customer terms and conditions to ‘you’ or ‘your’ means the property owner (and customer of a particular installer) who wishes to benefit from a grant paid under the Green Homes Grant Scheme (‘the scheme’).

Introduction

1. The scheme is a grant scheme under which BEIS supports the installation, in domestic properties located in England, of certain types of energy efficiency improvement measures and low carbon heating systems (these being the ‘eligible measures’ which are described in Annex B of these customer terms and conditions).

2. Grants under the scheme will be offered by way of eligible property owners being issued with a ‘voucher’ in respect of eligible measures to be installed by an installer registered under the scheme with respect to the relevant type of eligible measure. When a voucher is then successfully ‘redeemed’ in accordance with the requirements of the scheme, the property owner will receive the relevant grant by way of a payment being made, on behalf of the property owner, to the installer who installed the eligible measure covered by that voucher.

3. Applications for redemption of vouchers and payments under them must be submitted with all required supporting information and declarations prior to expiry of the voucher being the earlier of 3 months after the voucher’s date of issue and the closure of the scheme, initially set to be 31 March 2021.

4. These customer terms and conditions apply to property owners who wish to benefit from a grant under the scheme by being issued with a voucher.

5. The scheme is funded by government (BEIS) and administered on behalf of BEIS by a third party contractor, the scheme administrator. This means that, as explained in further detail below, property owners who wish to be issued with a voucher must apply to the scheme administrator for a voucher.

Changes to the scheme and these customer terms and conditions


  1. 6. The award of vouchers is at the discretion of the scheme administrator, though subject to your right to appeal (see paragraph 42 below). There is no guarantee that any particular amounts of grant will be available under the scheme for any particular period of time. Any of the following things could happen at any time:-
    1. a. the Scheme may be suspended or closed, meaning that no further Vouchers are issued under it, either temporarily or permanently, but without affecting your right to claim under any Voucher that has been issued prior to such suspension or closure and has not separately been cancelled in accordance with these Customer Terms and Conditions. This may also mean that any application you have already made to the Scheme Administrator at that point is then put on hold or rejected;
    2. b. for applications for new Vouchers, the amounts of Grant available for particular Eligible Measures may be changed at any time prior to issue of the Voucher;
    3. c. for applications for new Vouchers, the eligibility requirements that apply under the Scheme may be changed at any time prior to issue of the Voucher. This could include changes as to the types of measures which constitute Eligible Measures, eligibility requirements which apply to property owners wishing to apply for a Voucher and eligibility requirements which apply to installers participating in the Scheme;
    4. d. limits may be imposed on the number of Vouchers that can be applied for in respect of Eligible Measures to be installed by any one particular installer. If any limit of this kind is reached for any installer you were intending to use, this may mean that your application for a Voucher is rejected.
  2. 7. In light of the matters described in paragraph 6 above, you should make sure that you do not commit to proceed with the installation of any Eligible Measure until you have successfully been issued with a Voucher covering that Eligible Measure and have checked that the amount of Grant offered under that Voucher is in line with your expectations.
  3. 8. By applying for a Voucher you will be confirming that you agree to these Customer Terms and Conditions applying to the arrangements between you and the Scheme Administrator relating to the Voucher you are applying for and your participation in the Scheme. Prior to Voucher issue, the Scheme Administrator may make changes to the version of the Customer Terms and Conditions you originally agreed to at the point of making your application. Where it does so :-
    1. a. the Scheme Administrator will tell you about these changes;
    2. b. if at the point the changes are made, you have not yet been issued with the Voucher you applied for, the Scheme Administrator will give you the choice of continuing with your application on the basis of the changed Customer Terms and Conditions, or cancelling it. The Customer Terms and Conditions shall be varied or your application cancelled as appropriate in accordance with the choice made by you.

Eligibility requirements and amounts of grant


  1. 9. A Voucher will only be valid, and can only be used to claim a Grant, where all of the following eligibility requirements are met:-
    1. a. the energy efficiency improvement measure(s) and/or low carbon heating system that you wish to install at your property and be covered by the Voucher must be of a type, and meet the requirements for that type, described in Annex B of these Customer Terms and Conditions (these being the “Eligible Measures” under the Scheme). In the case of heating systems, this will include requirements as to the purpose for which the heating system is used and (for certain types of system) where your property is located;
    2. b. you and the property at which the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher are to be installed must meet the eligibility requirements described in Annex C of these Customer Terms and Conditions. Unless Annex C says otherwise, these eligibility requirements must be met at the time the Voucher is issued to you;
    3. c. the installer who you contract with to supply and install the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher must be “Registered” with the Scheme Administrator for the purposes of the Scheme with respect to the relevant category of Eligible Measure (and must remain Registered until the installation work has been completed);
    4. d. work on the installation of the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher must not start until after the Voucher has been issued;
    5. e. the Eligible Measure installed at your property must be a complete new measure or system, not a second-hand one. Grants under the Scheme cannot be used to support the repair or replacement of parts of an existing measure or system; and
    6. f. you and your installer must comply with the restrictions described in the following paragraphs 10 and 11 on receiving other forms of financial support in respect of the cost of supplying and installing the Eligible Measures.
  2. 10. Grant support under the Scheme will not be payable for any Eligible Measure for which financial support has been received, or will be received, under the ECO scheme and/or any public grant scheme (including both central government and local authority schemes). You must not apply for a Voucher where any such financial support has been or will be received in respect of the energy efficiency measure or low carbon heating system by you or any other person. You must also not apply for or receive any financial support of this kind yourself in relation to any Eligible Measure covered by a Voucher.
  3. 11. Where a particular Eligible Measure covered by a Voucher is a low carbon heating system of a kind which is also eligible for support under the government’s “Renewable Heat Incentive” (RHI) scheme, the following rules and requirements will apply if you wish to obtain support under the RHI scheme as well as receiving a Grant under the Scheme:-
    1. a. before you apply for any accreditation under the RHI scheme, you must first “redeem” the Voucher and claim the Grant under the Scheme;
    2. b. when subsequently applying to Ofgem for accreditation of the heating system under the RHI scheme (noting that different eligibility rules apply under the RHI scheme), you must notify Ofgem about the amount of Grant paid in respect of the heating system; and
    3. c. if you are successful in obtaining the RHI accreditation, Ofgem will then deduct the relevant amount of Grant from the RHI payments you would otherwise be entitled to receive.
  4. 12. Where a Voucher is issued, the limits on the amount of Grant that will be offered under it will be as follows:-
    1. a. the Grant will only be offered in support of the “Eligible Costs” of engaging a Registered installer to supply and install the Eligible Measure(s) at your property after the Voucher has been issued, as evidenced by an appropriate quotation provided by the Registered installer in accordance with the Installer Terms and Conditions. The expression “Eligible Costs” means (i) the cost of the Eligible Measure; (ii) the cost of installation work for the Eligible Measure; and (iii) the cost of any associated work being carried out by the installer that is required to ensure that the installation is compliant with the relevant certification standards which apply under the Installer Terms and Conditions;
    2. b. together with Grants made available under all other Vouchers in respect of the same property the Grant will have a total value of no more than £5,000 (five thousand pounds) for the “general scheme” or £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) for the “low income scheme” (see Annex C of these Customer Terms and Conditions for more detail about the difference between the general scheme and the low income scheme);
    3. c. for the general scheme, subject to the relevant overall limit of £5,000 referred to in paragraph 12 b above, the Grant offered under the Voucher will be equal to two thirds of the Eligible Costs shown in the quotation or, if actual Eligible Costs (as eventually invoiced by your installer) end up being lower than those shown in the quotation, equal to two thirds of the actual Eligible Costs;
    4. d. for the low income scheme, subject to the relevant overall limit of £10,000 referred to in paragraph 12 b above, the Grant offered under the Voucher will be equal to the Eligible Costs shown in the quotation or, if actual Eligible Costs (as eventually invoiced by your installer) end up being lower than those shown in the quotation, equal to the actual Eligible Costs;

      For the purposes of the rules described above, decisions as to what constitutes a single property (as opposed to multiple different properties) will be made at the discretion of the Scheme Administrator.

Application for and issue of a voucher


  1. 13. To apply for a Voucher for an Eligible Measure, you must follow the Scheme Administrator’s process for this. By making an application of this kind, you will be confirming that:-
    1. a. you and the property at which the Eligible Measure is to be installed meet the eligibility requirements described in Annex C of these Terms and Conditions;
    2. b. work on the installation of the Eligible Measure has not already started;
    3. c. in relation to the Eligible Measure, you have not received any of the financial support referred to in paragraphs 10 and 11above; and
    4. d. you have obtained all necessary consents and permissions from any other person with any relevant interest in the property and from any relevant authorities.
  2. 14. As part of your application for a Voucher, you will need to provide the Scheme Administrator with a copy of the quotation provided by the installer you intend to use to supply and install the Eligible Measure at your property. More specific requirements that apply in this respect are as follows:-
    1. a. the installer you intend to use must be “Registered” for the purposes of the Scheme in respect of the relevant type of Eligible Measure;
    2. b. the installer you intend to use must not be you or a member of your household or your immediate family; and
    3. c. the quotation must be in the form required under the Installer Terms and Conditions.
  3. 15. Where you wish to install more than one Eligible Measure at your property with the benefit of a Grant under the Scheme, and this will be possible within the overall Grant limits described in paragraph 12(b) above:-
    1. a. you will need to apply for a different Voucher to cover each of the different Eligible Measures;
    2. b. you will not need to use the same Registered installer for each of the Eligible Measures;
    3. c. if you do use the same installer, you will not need to enter into different contracts for each of the Eligible Measures, but the installer will need to provide separate quotations for each Eligible Measure.
  4. 16. You must ensure that all information you provide to the Scheme Administrator in connection with your application for a Voucher, and in response to any reasonable enquiries or other requests for information which the Scheme Administrator may ask you to respond to from time to time, is true, accurate and complete at the time it is provided.
  5. 17. On receiving an application from you for a Voucher, the Scheme Administrator will carry out certain checks and then make a decision, using its own discretion, on whether or not a Voucher will be issued to you and (if one is to be issued) for what amount of Grant. If the Scheme Administrator decides not to issue with you with the Voucher you applied for, you will be able to appeal that decision by following the appeals process set out by the Scheme Administrator.
  6. 18. As set out in paragraph 9 above, you must apply for, and have received, a Voucher before any work starts on installing the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher.
  7. 19. At any time after you have made your application for a Voucher, the Scheme Administrator or BEIS may audit the information you have provided, or request further information from you, where the Scheme Administrator or BEIS (as applicable) reasonably considers this to be necessary in order to check that relevant requirements under the Scheme are being complied with. You must cooperate with any audit of this kind, and provide any further information requested, within any timeframe reasonably specified by the Scheme Administrator or BEIS.
  8. 20. A Voucher will:
    1. a. only be valid for a particular period described in the Voucher. This means that, except where an extension is given in the exceptional circumstances described in paragraph 37 below, the Voucher will need to have been “redeemed” before its validity period ends;
    2. b. be for your use and benefit only, meaning you cannot transfer it in any way to any other person;
    3. c. only be valid in relation to the particular Eligible Measure and the particular property described in it (as per information taken from your application for the Voucher);
    4. d. only be valid where the installer you contract with to supply and install the Eligible Measure is the particular “Registered” installer described in the Voucher (as per information taken from your application for the Voucher). See paragraph 35 below for the terms that will apply if you wish to change the Registered installer; and
    5. e. cease to be valid on cancellation by the Scheme Administrator or once payment has been made to an installer following redemption of the Voucher.
  9. 21. The issuing of a Voucher does not mean that information provided as part of your application has been approved or endorsed in any way by the Scheme Administrator. As set out in paragraph 16 above, it is your responsibility to ensure that this information is accurate and complete and that you are able to meet relevant eligibility requirements. Even if you have been issued with a Voucher, there is no guarantee that your Voucher “redemption” (meaning the claiming of a Grant) will be successful. Payment of the Grant will be conditional on the requirements at paragraphs 26 to 31 below being satisfied.

Installation of eligible measures


  1. 22. A key requirement of the Scheme is that the installer you use and contract with to supply and install the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher is an installer who is “Registered” for the purposes of the Scheme in relation to that type of Eligible Measure. Amongst other matters, this will mean that:-
    1. a. the installer is required under the Installer Terms and Conditions to be registered under the government’s “TrustMark” scheme and to comply with other certification standards when carrying out installation work for you;
    2. b. if you have any complaints about the work being carried out by the installer, you should also be able to contact the relevant organisation that runs the TrustMark Approved Scheme of which the installer is a member for assistance in resolving these complaints.
  2. 23. Your installer may, in accordance with the terms of its installation contract with you, ask for a deposit before work starts on installing the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher. This deposit must not be in excess of the total contribution you will be required to make, after payment of the Grant, to the Eligible Costs of supplying and installing the Eligible Measure. Therefore, if you have a Voucher under the low income scheme, your installer should not ask you for a deposit unless the total cost of all the Eligible Measures being installed under the Scheme exceeds the £10,000 overall Grant limit for the low income scheme (as described in paragraph 12(b) above).
  3. 24. Within 14 days after the installation of the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher has been completed satisfactorily, and in any case no later than 7 (seven) days before the validity period of the Voucher ends, your installer will be required under the Installer Terms and Conditions to do the following:
    1. a. issue an invoice to you in respect of the Eligible Costs associated with the supply and installation of the Eligible Measure. Where any other work, not relating to the installation of Eligible Measure covered by your Voucher, is carried out by the installer for you, that other work must be invoiced separately;
    2. b. for certain types of energy efficiency improvement measures, issue you with an appropriate claim of conformity and any relevant handover pack, as required in accordance with relevant “PAS” certification standards;
    3. c. where the Eligible Measure is a low carbon heating system, issue you with the relevant “MCS” (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certificate, together with any relevant manufacturer’s instructions for operating and maintaining that system;
    4. d. where the Eligible Measure is a biomass fuelled low carbon heating system, provide you with information about the “Biomass Suppliers List”;
    5. e. where required in accordance with the rules specified by TrustMark in its “Green Home Grant Scheme Requirements for TrustMark Scheme Providers” and/or any rules of the relevant TrustMark Approved Scheme of which the installer is a member, provide you with a copy of the guarantee which the installer is required to provide under the those rules;
    6. f. upload to the TrustMark data warehouse all information which the installer is required to upload in accordance with the rules specified by TrustMark in its “Green Home Grant Scheme Requirements for TrustMark Scheme Providers”.

Voucher redemption


  1. 25. In these Customer Terms and Conditions, “redeeming” a Voucher means taking certain steps, as described in paragraphs 28 and 29 below, to claim the Grant covered by the Voucher once the Voucher has become “redeemable” (see paragraph 27 below).
  2. 26. As explained in paragraph 20 above, if you wish to claim the Grant, the Voucher will need to be redeemed (meaning you will need to take the steps described in paragraphs 28 and 29 below) before the validity period of the Voucher ends i.e. before the date of expiry of the Voucher.
  3. 27. A valid Voucher will become redeemable in the following circumstances:-
    1. a. except in the circumstances described in sub-paragraph b below, once the installation of the Eligible Measure covered by that Voucher has been completed satisfactorily and the installer has fully complied with its obligations under paragraph 24 above in relation to that Eligible Measure prior to the date of expiry of the Voucher;
    2. b. where for any particular property multiple Vouchers have been issued covering one or more Primary Measures and one or more Secondary Measures, then a Voucher for any such Secondary Measure will only become redeemable:
      1. (i) once the installation of that Secondary Measure has been completed satisfactorily and the Installer has fully complied with its obligations under paragraph 24 above in relation to that Secondary Measure; AND
      2. (ii) the value of the Grant applicable to that Secondary Measure (when added to all other Secondary Measures redeemed to that date) is less than the value of the Grant(s) already paid out in respect of the relevant Primary Measure(s).
  4. 28. The first step you will need to take, if you wish to redeem your Voucher (once it has become redeemable), is to pay your installer the balance (if any) of the price payable to the installer (after deducting the expected Grant amount and any deposit that you have paid) for the relevant Eligible Measure. N.B. if you have a Voucher under the low income scheme, you do not need to take this step in order to redeem it.
  5. 29. The next set of steps you will then need to take, if you wish to redeem your Voucher (once it has become redeemable), is to do the following, in accordance with the Scheme Administrator’s process for redeeming Vouchers and before the date of expiry of the Voucher:-
    1. a. confirm to the Scheme Administrator that the installation of the relevant Eligible Measure has been completed satisfactorily by the installer specified on the Voucher;
    2. b. confirm to the Scheme Administrator that you have received from your installer all of the documents referred to in paragraph 24 above in relation to the relevant Eligible Measure;
    3. c. confirm to the Scheme Administrator that you have paid the installer the amount (if any) referred to in paragraph 28 above;
    4. d. confirm to the Scheme Administrator, and provide any evidence reasonably requested by the Scheme Administrator, that any other applicable eligibility requirements under the Scheme (as referred to in these Customer Terms and Conditions) have been met;
    5. e. provide to the Scheme Administrator a dated copy or image of the relevant invoice issued by the installer, as referred to in paragraph 24 above; and
    6. f. where the Eligible Measure is a biomass fuelled low carbon heating system, submit a valid Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) fuel number for your intended fuel to evidence that you have engaged with the BSL website and understand where to purchase valid fuel.
  6. Where the installer has completed the Eligible Measures you may lose the benefit of the Voucher and have to pay the full price for the works if you do not pay the installer as required by paragraph 28 and submit the information required by paragraph 29 before the Voucher expires.
  7. 30. Once you have completed the process of redeeming the Voucher by providing the confirmations referred to in paragraph 29 above prior to the expiry of the Voucher, the Scheme Administrator will confirm this to your installer and your installer will then be required, within 10 working days of receiving the Scheme Administrator’s confirmation, to do the following in order to obtain payment of the Grant covered by the Voucher:-
    1. a. confirm to the Scheme Administrator that the installer has received the relevant payment from you (if any) referred to in paragraph 28 above;
    2. b. confirm to the Scheme Administrator that the necessary items have been lodged with TrustMark, as referred to in paragraph 24 above;
    3. c. make certain declarations to the Scheme Administrator as required by the Installer Terms and Conditions; and
    4. d. provide to the Scheme Administrator a copy or image of the relevant invoice issued by the installer, as referred to in paragraph 24 above.
  8. 31. Where you have completed the process of redeeming the Voucher and:-
    1. a. your installer remains Registered for the purposes of the Scheme in respect of the relevant type of Eligible Measure;
    2. b. your installer has a complied with the Installer Terms and Conditions in relation to the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher;
    3. c. your installer has complied with the requirements set out in paragraph 30 above;
    4. d. the Scheme Administrator is reasonably satisfied that all other necessary requirements arising under these Customer Terms and Conditions and the Installer Terms and Conditions have been met as regards the installation of the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher; and
    5. e. the Scheme Administrator is in receipt of funds from BEIS in order to make the payment,
  9. the Scheme Administrator will, on your behalf, pay the relevant amount of grant (as determined under paragraph 12 above) to your installer.

Post-installation obligations


  1. 32. For a period of at least 12 months following the date on which the Voucher is redeemed as regards a particular Eligible Measure, you must ensure that, unless there is a good reason for doing so:-
    1. a. the Eligible Measure is not removed from the place it was installed; and
    2. b. the Eligible Measure is not modified in a way that might adversely affect the way it was intended to perform.
  2. 33. Where the Eligible Measure for which a Voucher has been redeemed is a type of low carbon heating system, you must also ensure that for the lifetime of the system the following requirements are complied with:-
    1. a. the system must be properly serviced in line with the manufacturer’s instructions;
    2. b. the system must continue to be used for an eligible purpose, as described in Annex B of these Customer Terms and Conditions, and must not be used for any of the ineligible purposes described in Annex B of these Customer Terms and Conditions; and
    3. c. where the system is fuelled by biomass, it must only be used with fuel that is authorised on the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) and that was tested for on the specific emissions certificate for that particular system.

Changes to your circumstances


  1. 34. You must ensure that information you provide to the Scheme Administrator remains accurate and up to date. If there is any change to any information you previously provided to the Scheme Administrator, you must tell the Scheme Administrator about this change within 7 (seven) days of becoming aware of it. As explained in paragraph 38 below, changes of this kind may result in the Voucher being cancelled.
  2. 35. If before installation works starts in respect of a particular Eligible Measure covered by a Voucher, you wish to change the Registered installer or change the Eligible Measure, you must contact the Scheme Administrator and tell it about the proposed change. The Scheme Administrator will then assess, by re-validating relevant parts of the original application process for the Voucher, whether to agree to the change. There is no guarantee that the Scheme Administrator will agree the change, in particular if the change would result in an additional amount of Grant being payable under the Voucher. However, if the Scheme Administrator does agree the change, it will cancel the original Voucher and issue you a new Voucher on the basis of your application following the change.
  3. 36. If after being issued with a Voucher, but before you start the process of “redeeming” it, the Eligible Costs of supplying and installing a particular Eligible Measure increases and you wish to request an increase in the amount of Grant payable under the Voucher to cover to a proportion of this additional Eligible Costs, you must contact the Scheme Administrator to make this request. The Scheme Administrator will then assess whether to agree to the change, taking into account matters such as the justification for the increase in Eligible Costs, the availability of funds under the Scheme at that point and limits on the amounts of Grant that are payable (as explained in paragraph 12 above). There is no guarantee that the Scheme Administrator will agree the change, but if it does, it will cancel the original Voucher and issue you a new Voucher on the basis of your application following the change.
  4. 37. If due to circumstances beyond your reasonable control you consider that you will not be able redeem the Voucher before the end of its validity period (including where circumstances beyond your reasonable control have caused a delay in the installation of one or more Eligible Measure(s) being completed), you may contact the Scheme Administrator and request an extension to the validity period of the Voucher. There is no guarantee that the Scheme Administrator will agree to the requested extension, but if it does agree to this, it will issue you with an amended Voucher showing the extended validity period.

Cancellation of Vouchers & clawback of Grant


  1. 38. The Scheme Administrator may cancel a Voucher and/or withhold (in whole or in part) payment of the Grant covered by a Voucher where the Scheme Administrator has reasonable grounds for believing that any of the following circumstances apply:-
    1. a. the validity period for the Voucher has expired (without the Voucher being redeemed in accordance with the Customer Terms and Conditions before the end of this period);
    2. b. any relevant eligibility requirements referred to in these Customer Terms and Conditions were not met at the time that they needed to be met under these Terms and Conditions (including Annex C);
    3. c. you have not complied with any of these Customer Terms and Conditions;
    4. d. your installer has not complied with any of the Installer Terms and Conditions in relation to the installation of the Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher;
    5. e. your installer has ceased to be Registered for the purposes of the Scheme for relevant type of Eligible Measure (or was never so Registered);
    6. f. you, your installer or any of your installer’s officers, employees, agents or subcontractors has made any false statement or committed any fraud in connection with the Voucher;
    7. g. there has been any inappropriate collusion between you and your installer or any of its officers, employees, agents or subcontractors;
    8. h. it is necessary for the Voucher to be cancelled and/or the Grant to be withheld (in whole or in part) to comply with any relevant laws.
  2. 39. If the Scheme Administrator intends to cancel a Voucher and/or withhold payment of any Grant, the Scheme Administrator will tell you about this intention. You will then be given the opportunity to make representations to the Scheme Administrator before the Scheme Administrator makes its final decision.
  3. 40. If having been issued with a Voucher, you decide that you will not be proceeding with the installation of the Eligible Measure(s) covered by it, you must contact the Scheme Administrator as soon as reasonably practicable and inform it of your decision. The Scheme Administrator will then have the right to cancel the Voucher, so that grant funds covered by the Voucher can be made available to other applicants.
  4. 41. Where any payment of Grant is made, following the redemption of the Voucher, and there are reasonable grounds for the Scheme Administrator subsequently deciding that:-
    1. a. you made any false statement or committed, or were knowingly party to, any fraud relating to that payment;
    2. b. there was any inappropriate collusion between you and your installer or any of its officers, employees, agents or subcontractors;
    3. c. you and/or your property did not meet, at the time that they needed to be met, any of the relevant eligibility requirements which apply to you and/or your property;
    4. d. you have not complied with any of these Customer Terms and Conditions and that failure is serious enough to justify clawing back the Grant from you; and/or
    5. e. the payment constitutes illegal State Aid (as referred to in paragraph 46 below),
  5. the Scheme Administrator will have the right (without affecting any other right it may have) to contact you in order to tell you about the amount of the relevant Grant payment which the Scheme Administrator considers should not have been paid to the installer on your behalf and to clawback that amount from you. In these circumstances, you must pay the Scheme Administrator the amount in question within 14 days of being told about that amount and the requirement to pay it. In the event of late payment, interest will be payable on the amount due at the rate of 8% above the Bank of England base rate from the end of this 14 day period until the date on which you do make repayment in full.

Appeals process


  1. 42. If you are unhappy about any of the decisions made by the Scheme Administrator under these Customer Terms and Conditions, including decisions relating to the amendment or cancellation of a Voucher, you may be able to appeal that decision by following the appeal process specified by the Scheme Administrator.

Record keeping


  1. 43. You must keep copies of the documents referred to in paragraph 24 above until at least 6 (six) years have passed since the date on which the Voucher was redeemed. If you are a landlord, this period is extended to 10 years. If asked to do so at any time, you must allow authorised representatives of the Scheme Administrator and/or BEIS to inspect and take copies of these documents.

Inspection


  1. 44. If asked to do so at any time, you must allow authorised representatives of the Scheme Administrator and/or BEIS to have access to your property to inspect the Eligible Measure(s) installed at the property and verify that relevant requirements referred to in these Customer Terms and Conditions have been complied with.

Additional requirements for landlords


  1. 45. If you are a landlord and have been provided with a UIN by the Scheme Administrator you must include it in each application for a Voucher under the Scheme.
  2. 46. If you are a landlord, Grant payments under the Scheme are subject to restrictions on State aid under EU and/or UK legislation where applicable. . If you are a landlord, in the event that the de minimis threshold under the EU State Aid De Minimis Regulation or any equivalent UK legislation will be or has been breached by receipt of the Grant payment, you must:
    1. a. notify the Scheme Administrator without delay; and
    2. b. return any Grant payments received which are in excess of this threshold to the Scheme Administrator within 30 days of having knowledge of a breach.

Installer Responsibility


  1. 47. You are responsible for selecting an appropriate suitably qualified competent and reputable installer to install the Eligible Measures. This includes any subcontractor that the installer wishes to use. Registration of an installer under the Scheme or the award of a Voucher in respect of a quotation issued by an installer does not constitute an assurance by the Scheme Administrator or BEIS as to the suitability or competence of the installer (or subcontractor) to install any Eligible Measure or carry out any other works at your property.
  2. 48. If you have any complaints about any Eligible Measure(s) and/or about anything done (or not done) by your installer or any of its officers, employees, agents or subcontractors, you should raise these with your installer or otherwise (as explained in paragraph 22 above) contact the relevant organisation which runs the TrustMark Approved Scheme of which your installer is a member.

Limitation of liability


  1. 49. The award of Vouchers under the CHG Scheme is discretionary and (without affecting any right of appeal that you may have) you shall not be entitled to compensation from either the Scheme Administrator or BEIS for any costs or losses you incur due to any rejection of your application for a Voucher or any delay in processing it.
  2. 50. Neither the Scheme Administrator nor BEIS will be liable for any costs or losses you incur due to:
    1. a. any delay by the Scheme Administrator in issuing a Voucher;
    2. b. any delay or defects in the conduct of the Eligible Measures at your property by the installer or its sub-contractors;
    3. c. any negligence or anything else done (or not done) by your installer or any of its subcontractors;
    4. d. the inability or failure of the installer or sub-contractor to pay you compensation where appropriate; and/or
    5. e. any failure or delay by the Scheme Administrator in connection with the administration of the GHG Scheme for reasons which are outside of its reasonable control.
  3. 51. It is your responsibility to check that the terms of your contract with your installer:
    1. a. specify that part or all (as applicable) of the cost of the relevant Eligible Measures will be met by way of Grant offered under one or more Vouchers (rather than being payable by you) as contemplated by these Customer Terms and Conditions;
    2. b. protect you from liability to the installer in respect of the shortfall in the event that the installer is unable to claim payment under the Voucher for any reason other than a failure by you to comply with these Customer Terms and Conditions or, once a Voucher has become redeemable before its expiry date, a failure by you promptly to take the necessary steps to redeem the Voucher before its expiry date;
    3. c. require the installer to complete the installation of each Eligible Measure, in sufficient time prior to the expiry date of the Voucher to enable the Voucher to be redeemed by the expiry date, to a professional standard by suitably qualified personnel and in accordance with the certification standards of the relevant TrustMark Approved Scheme and any other relevant certification standards,
  4. and if you fail to do so the Scheme Administrator shall not be liable to you for any costs or losses you incur as a result.
  5. 52. The Scheme Administrator shall not be liable to you for any business losses or loss or rent howsoever caused.
  6. 53. The Scheme Administrator shall not be in breach of these Customer Terms and Conditions nor liable for delay in performing, or failure to perform, any of its obligations under them if such delay or failure results from events, circumstances or causes beyond its reasonable control.
  7. 54. Nothing in these Customer Terms and Conditions will have the effect of excluding or limiting the liability of the Scheme Administrator or BEIS for death or personal injury caused by (respectively) the negligence of the Scheme Administrator or BEIS or (respectively) any fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation by the Scheme Administrator or BEIS, or any other matter which, by law, may not be excluded or limited.

Miscellaneous


  1. 55. Data Protection - the Scheme Administrator will collect, process and retain personal data provided by you in accordance with the Scheme Administrator’s Privacy Policy, which the Scheme Administrator will give you details of when you make an application to the Scheme Administrator for a Voucher. If you are concerned that the Scheme Administrator is storing information about you that is incorrect, please contact the Scheme Administrator using the contact details provided in the Scheme Administrator’s Privacy Policy, and it will correct your details as soon as possible. Security measures have been put in place to protect your personal data against access by unauthorised persons, and safeguards have been put in place to protect transfers of your personal data to authorised third parties for purposes of delivering the Scheme.
  2. 56. Third party rights –
    1. a. Except as explained in sub-paragraph b. below, a person who is not a party to these Customer Terms and Conditions will not have any rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any of provision in them.
    2. b. BEIS will have the right to enforce any provision in these Customer Terms and Conditions which expressly or by implication confers a benefit on BEIS.
  3. 57. Transfer of rights and obligations – you will not have any right to transfer to anyone else any of your rights or obligations under these Terms and Conditions and/or any Voucher. The Scheme Administrator will have the right to transfer all of its rights and obligations under these Customer Terms and Conditions and/or any Voucher to BEIS or to any replacement contractor appointed by BEIS to administer the Scheme and, if requested to do so at any time, you must enter into any documents the Scheme Administrator or BEIS reasonably requests that you enter into in order to give full effect to a transfer of this kind.
  4. 58. Waiver - if you do not comply with any of these Customer Terms and Conditions and the Scheme Administrator does not respond or take any action immediately on becoming aware of the issue, this does not mean that it cannot take action in the future.
  5. 59. Validity - if a court or other authority tells the Scheme Administrator that any part of these Customer Terms and Conditions is not valid, the rest of these Customer Terms and Conditions will not be affected.
  6. 60. Governing law and jurisdiction – these Customer Terms and Conditions will be governed by and are to be construed in accordance with English Law and they and any dispute arising under or in connection with them will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
  7. 61. Interpretation - in these Customer Terms and Conditions, and unless the context otherwise requires, the words “include”, “including” or “in particular” should be read as if they were followed by the words “but not limited to”, so that any things which are referred to after any of these words are treated as illustrative examples rather than an exhaustive list.

Annex A - Definitions

‘BEIS’ means the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy;

‘ECO’ means funding by an energy supplier pursuant to the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/1183), as amended;

‘Eligible Costs’ has the meaning given to this expression in paragraph 12 above;

‘Eligible Measure’ means an energy efficiency improvement measure or low carbon heating system of the kind, and which meets the requirements, specified in Annex B of these Customer Terms and Conditions. As applied to you, and unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in these Customer Terms and Conditions to an Eligible Measure should be read as meaning the particular Eligible Measure covered by the Voucher that you have applied for or (as the context requires) been issued with;

‘EU State Aid De Minimis Regulation’ means Commission Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid[footnote 1];

‘Grant’ means a grant payment under the Scheme. As applied to you, and unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in these Customer Terms and Conditions to a Grant should be read as meaning the particular Grant offered to you by the Scheme Administrator by way of the issue of a Voucher to you under which a Registered installer may claim for a payment to be made by the Scheme Administrator on your behalf;

‘Installer Terms and Conditions’ means the relevant terms and conditions which apply to installers who have been Registered by the Scheme Administrator for the purposes of the Scheme;

‘Primary Measure’ means those types of Eligible Measure which are described in Annex B of these Terms and Conditions as being a “Primary Measure”;

‘Registered’ refers to the process administered by the Scheme Administrator whereby an installer may be registered by the Scheme Administrator for the purposes of being permitted to participate in the Scheme;

‘Scheme’ means the “Green Homes Grant” scheme established by BEIS to support the installation of Eligible Measures in residential properties in England;

‘Scheme Administrator’ means ICF Consulting Services Limited, being the contractor appointed by BEIS to administer the Scheme;

‘Secondary Measure’ means those types of Eligible Measure which are described in Annex B of these Terms and Conditions as being a “Secondary Measure”;

‘State Aid’ means state aid under Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

‘TrustMark’ means the quality endorsement scheme of this name operated by BEIS;

‘TrustMark Approved Scheme’ means a particular scheme, operated by a TrustMark “Scheme Provider”, under which businesses are able to obtain certification services and become a “Registered Business” for TrustMark purposes;

‘UIN’ means a landlord’s unique identification number;

‘Voucher’ means the document issued to an eligible property owner by the Scheme Administrator by way of the offer of a particular amount of Grant for a particular Eligible Measure to be installed at the owner’s property. As applied to you, and unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to a Voucher should be read as meaning the particular Voucher that you have applied for or (as the context requires) been issued with.

Annex B – Eligible measures

Primary measures

62. Insulation

63. The Voucher must be applied for and used in respect of at least one of the “Primary Measures” listed below. This could be an insulation measure and/or a low carbon heating measure.

64. Insulation measures (“Insulation Primary Measures”) that can be covered by Vouchers are as follows:

  • solid wall – external or internal
  • cavity wall
  • under floor
  • loft
  • room in roof
  • flat roof
  • pitched roof
  • insulating a park home

65. Low carbon heating

66. Low carbon heating measures (‘Low Carbon Heating Primary Measures’) that can be covered by Vouchers, and that must also comply with the additional requirements listed in the section “Heat Installation Requirements” below, are as follows:

  • air source heat pump
  • ground source heat pump
  • solar thermal (liquid filled flat plate or evacuated tube collectors)
  • biomass boilers
  • hybrid heat pump

Heat Installation Requirements

Heat installations (including hybrid heat pumps, but with the exception of solar thermal) must entirely replace an existing fossil fuel heating system. For hybrid heat pump installations, the installation of a new ASHP alongside an existing fossil fuel boiler, for example, would therefore be ineligible and the fossil fuel element of the system would also need to be new. Replacements of existing low carbon heating systems are not supported by the GHGS.

All biomass installations must:

  • have a valid emissions certificate[footnote 2] for the make and model of biomass boiler installed. These can be checked against the publicly available database[footnote 3] of all valid emissions certificates
  • only be installed in rural areas. This will be determined in line with a postcode check for the installation in line with the ONS Postcode Directory look-up tool. This returns a ‘Rural Urban Indicator’ as set out below and in this ONS publication. Those codes referred to as being ‘rural’ (D1, D2, E1, E2, F1, F2) are eligible locations for biomass under GHG:
    • Urban: Major Conurbation (A1)
    • Urban: Minor Conurbation (B1)
    • Urban: City and Town (C1)
    • Urban: City and Town in a Sparse Setting (C2)
    • Rural: Town and Fringe (D1)
    • Rural: Town and Fringe in a Sparse Setting (D2)
    • Rural: Village (E1)
    • Rural: Village in a Sparse Setting (E2)
    • Rural: Hamlets and Isolated Dwellings (F1)
    • Rural: Hamlets and Isolated Dwellings in a Sparse Setting (F2)

All heat pump systems must have a minimum Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF) of 2.5.

Purpose of heat installations:

  • all heat installations must be used for space heating and/or domestic hot water heating purposes, except that for solar thermal systems, heat must only be used for domestic water heating;
  • a heat installation must not be used for any of the following purposes, even when used in conjunction with an eligible heat use (as described above):
    • process heating;
    • outdoor heating;
    • heating swimming pools

For example, a low carbon heat installation that provides space heating, domestic water and heats a swimming pool would not be eligible for the Scheme.

For ‘hybrid heat pump’ installations, the heat pump element of any hybrid system should be capable of providing the vast majority of the space heating demand for the property.

Secondary measures

A Customer who has applied for a Voucher for one or more Primary Measures may also apply for a Voucher to help cover the Eligible Costs of any of the following “Secondary Measures”:

  • draught proofing
  • double/triple glazing (where replacing single glazed windows)
  • secondary glazing (in addition to single glazing)
  • external energy efficient doors (replacing single glazed or solid doors installed before 2002)
  • heating controls (e.g. appliance thermostats, smart heating controls, zone controls, delayed start thermostat, thermostatic radiator valves)
  • hot water tank thermostat
  • hot water tank insulation

A Voucher for Secondary Measures will only cover the costs of Secondary Measures where a Voucher has been redeemed for Primary Measures, and in an amount no greater than the total payment made under Vouchers in respect of Primary Measures at the relevant property.

Annex C – Customer Eligibility Requirements

I) General scheme:

Funding to provide home owners, park home owners and landlords with a two-thirds subsidy towards energy efficiency measures, up to the value of £5,000 of government contribution;

To apply for the Voucher, the Customer must own their home or be a private/social landlord.

The following properties are eligible:

  • All owner occupied homes (homeowners, with a freehold or long-leasehold interest in accommodation which they own outright, own with a mortgage, or own as part of a shared ownership scheme)
  • Landlords of domestic properties (people, businesses or organisations, including Local Authorities, who own the domestic property on a freehold or leasehold basis and who let that property in either the private or social rented sector, whether or not it is currently being let)
  • Landlords of social sector domestic properties (including LA owned homes)
  • Park home residents who own their park home (for residential sites including Gypsy and Traveller sites)

Not eligible:

  • New-build properties that have not previously been occupied
  • Non-domestic properties
  • Properties outside of England

II) Low-income scheme:

Specifically targeted at low-income owner occupiers and park home owners, funding 100% of the value of energy efficiency and heat measures up to the value of £10,000. Households can contribute additional funding if they wish.

All owners of owner occupied homes and park home owners (as defined above) receiving at least one of the following income-based or disability benefits are eligible:

  • Income based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
  • Income based Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Income Support (IS)
  • Pension Guarantee Credit
  • Working Tax Credit (WTC)
  • Child Tax Credits (CTC)
  • Universal Credit (UC)
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Carer’s Allowance
  • Severe Disablement Allowance
  • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
  • Contribution based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
  • Contribution based Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Housing benefit

Not eligible:

  • Landlords of private rented sector domestic properties
  • Landlords of social sector domestic properties
  • New-build properties that have not previously been occupied
  • Non-domestic properties
  • Properties outside of England

  1. OJ No L.352, 24.12.2013, p1. ↩

  2. Emissions certificates were developed for use on the RHI schemes and more info can be found here: www.hetas.co.uk/professionals/manufacturers/rhi-emission-certification. ↩

  3. http://rhieclist.org.uk/ ↩

Back to top