The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, today announced a new scheme to provide vouchers worth £5,000 to householders in England.
The measures announced are part of a wider £2billion plan to improve the Green infrastructure of the UK.
The Chancellor's Budget plan aims to create tens of thousands of jobs through new infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects - a real opportunity for the energy efficiency sector.
Green Home Grant Scheme
His plans includes a £3 billion green investment package that could help support jobs in this industry through upgrades to buildings and work to reduce emissions.
It is as part of this green investment package that homeowners and landlords in England will be able to apply for vouchers from the £2 billion Green Homes Grant scheme. This is expected to be up and running by September this year and the vouchers will be able to be used to pay for home energy efficiency improvements such as loft, wall and floor insulation.
The scheme,will be extended to allow those in fuel poverty access to vouchers worth up to £10,000
Gary Braybrooke, the Chief Executive of the Energy Efficiency Association, cautiously welcomed the announcement saying "It is fantastic to see the Treasury making any funding available in this sector, but there is still a lack of clarity on how this will roll out, and we look forward to hearing more detail in the coming days."
A further £1 billion has been set aside for Local Authorities to make public buildings, including schools and hospitals greener and more energy efficient too.
Training
A total of £1.6 billion will be invested in scaling up employment support schemes, training and apprenticeships to help young people looking for a job.
Businesses will receive £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25. This is in addition to the existing £1,000 payment the Government already provides for new 16-18-year-old apprentices and those aged under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
£111 million will be invested into traineeships in this year to improve access to high quality training, with £17 million going to increase the number of sector-based work academy placements in 2020-21
The Government also plans to increase the number of work coaches to 27,000, and are willing to put nearly £900 million into that.
For companies across the energy sector this represents an opportunity to transfer skills to the next generation of designers, engineers, installers and assessors to ensure the UK energy sector can be efficient with strong levels of expertise.
Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland
The Chancellor has confirmed that the Green Home Grant Scheme is specific to England, however funds will be proportionally allocated to the devolved governments using the standard formulas, so that they can deliver similar schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
More Detail
Full details of the Chancellor's statement can be found on the BEIS Website