Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Builders merchants’ trade association the Builders Merchants Federation will work in partnership with TrustMark on the new Green Homes Grant scheme.
The £2 billion Green Homes Grant scheme goes live at the end September. Consumers in England will be able to claim the new vouchers, which are worth up to £5,000 for homeowners. Households on low income can receive vouchers covering 100% of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £10,000. To be eligble, work must be carried out by those holding TrustMark accreditation or be certified through the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.
The Government is urging tradespeople to sign up for TrustMark in a drive to support 100,000 new jobs to fulfil the new energy efficiency scheme.
TrustMark has strict accreditation rules for tradespeople involved in the scheme, which covers green home improvements ranging from insulation of walls, floors and roofs to the installation of low-carbon heating, including heat pumps or solar thermal – measures that could help families save up to £600 a year on their energy bills.
BMF supplier members manufacture the products that will be installed into homes under scheme rules and BMF merchant members provide the major distribution channel for these materials. A dedicated page on the TrustMark website will list, by region, the BMF members participating in the scheme.
The BMF will also help TrustMark facilitate specialist product training for tradespeople signing up for the scheme, using the trade body’s extensive physical and on-line training capacity. The BMF has also offered its 32 Centres of Excellence across the country as potential training centres, with a number of these already located at insulation specialists such as Encon, Knauf, Saint Gobain, SIG, Superglass and Xtratherm.
The two bodies will hold a working group meeting today (13 August) to finalise details, with a number of BMF merchant and supplier members involved in initial discussions.
John Newcomb, BMF CEO said: “We are excited to work with TrustMark to develop the quality supply route required to facilitate an anticipated 600,000 projects through the Green Homes Grant. BMF supplier members are at the forefront of product development in insulation and heat pump technology and our merchant members account for over 80% of trade distribution channels, making this a natural partnership.
“We fully support this Government initiative that will not only cut energy bills for consumers and reduce the country’s carbon emissions but will also support over 100,000 jobs for skilled tradespeople.”
Simon Ayers, Chief Executive of TrustMark said: “We welcome the opportunity to work with the BMF and build a partnership that takes in the whole supply chain.
“Consumer confidence is not only essential to the recovery of the UK economy but also to the protection and creation of key jobs that will support the long-term delivery of quality green home improvements.”
