Call for greener Green Homes Grant

A living roof specialist is calling on the government to green up the Green Homes Grant by extending it to include environment-friendly roof garden projects. Grants are available for better home insulation, new boilers, heat pumps and solar panel installations. However, Wallbarn Director Julian Thurbin said it was a missed opportunity:

“Green roofs offer brilliant insulation benefits and keep homes cooler in summer. They also regulate the microclimate around them, contribute towards cleaner air quality, control run-off from heavy rainfall and cool cities. They would be a perfect partner for the other measures already covered by the grant scheme – with the added bonus of increasing biodiversity, providing a haven for pollinators and being great to look at.” Homes with flat roofs over living areas are ideal for a green roof, which is cheaper and easier to retrofit than ground-source heat pumps and solar-panel systems. “We’d love to see the Chancellor consider incentivising green roof installations. They fit perfectly with the government’s environmental agenda.

“The Mayor of London has recognised the importance of greening urban environments with the launch of his Grow Back Greener Fund, which aims to support the recovery from Covid-19 through sustainable growth and green-collar jobs. We think it’s a scheme that could be rolled out across the country, with support in part from Green Homes Grant funding,” he added.

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