The Green Homes Grant has been dogged with trouble from the start even though the principle behind it actually seemed like a good idea.
Under the Government's Green Homes Grant scheme, all energy-saving improvements had had to be carried out by a TrustMark registered or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited business, giving householders quality assurance.
However some contractors were charging well above the average rate to carry out simple works that in some cases you could have done yourself or at a fraction of the price, however unless the work was carried out by a registered contractor, you would not be eligible for the grant.
It's obvious where it went wrong, although I wouldnt want to blame contractors altogether as they too were subjected to late or delayed payments from the government body causing some contractors to go fold.
As I said I liked the idea of the scheme in general as it encourages homeowners and especially landlords to upgrade their homes for the better and Im sure it could work if it was to allow homeowners to carry out works with any of their own qualified contractors, have homeowners pay for and buy the materials to be used, have retrofit assessors check the work during and after it has been complete and submit invoices to a governing body, who it turn, then pays the contractor for their time from the grant.
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