Renewable heating grants for new houses closed !

Read this note from the SEI Site today
Does this mean those building new houses will now be excluded from receiving the grants ?


"Greener Homes Scheme Phase II is now closed for applications*
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan T.D. today announced that the Greener Homes Scheme (GHS), having made over 22,000 grant commitments to householders towards the installation of new renewable energy heating systems, will move immediately to Phase III of the scheme. The announcement of Phase III is timed to coincide with the recent coming into force of the revised Building regulations 2008 which for the first time see a compulsory requirement for some component of renewable energy in all new homes.
The main changes under Phase III of the scheme is that henceforth only existing (at least one year old) houses will be eligible for support and there will be a small reduction in the levels of support for the existing biomass technologies. In addition a new biomass technology, gasification boilers, is being added to the scheme and becomes eligible for support. Applications under this scheme will, effective from close of business Monday 7th July, no longer be accepted and Phase III will be open for business on July 22 2008."

That is my take on it. I believe that new regulations are comng into force to make some of these technologies in new houses mandatory which defeats the requirement of the grant which was to promote these technologies.

Lastbuilders

I am caught in between on this
Permission granted in 2005 - just started building
Will be putting in either Geothermal or Air to Water Heat Pump
Is there a transition period?

john_kelly said:

I am caught in between on this
Permission granted in 2005 - just started building
Will be putting in either Geothermal or Air to Water Heat Pump
Is there a transition period?

Click to expand...

I am in a very similar position to yourself but was approved late 2006. Interested in how you get on as I am still to decide on the heating system.

It's nothing to do with the planning permission date. If you already have your offer of grant then, provided you comply with the terms of the scheme, you should be able to claim the money after it's commissioned. If you don't, you can't now apply for a grant for a new build.

SSE