A Missed Opportunity?

Julian Thurbin, Director at Wallbarn, feels Chancellor Rishi Sunak missed an opportunity by not including green roofs as part of the Green Homes Grant scheme.

A living roof specialist believes the government could have “delivered a much-needed shot in the arm to the economy and boosted Britain’s effort to be net-zero carbon by 2050” by including green roof projects as part of the Green Homes Grant scheme.

Grants To Support Energy Efficient Installations

The grant scheme, which opens for business in late September, is aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s housing stock and boosting the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Grants are available to support energy-efficient installations including upgrades to insulation and renewable heating installations as primary measures.

However, Julian Thurbin, a Director at Croydon-based green roof specialist Wallbarn, believes Chancellor Rishi Sunak has missed an opportunity in not including green roofs as part of the Green Homes Grant scheme: “We believe the Chancellor could have scored a hat-trick if he’d included green roofs in the grant scheme. He would have helped improve many thousands of homes, delivered a much-needed shot in the arm to the economy and boosted Britain’s effort to be net-zero carbon by 2050. 

“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’d have been a perfect partner for the other measures covered by the grant scheme – with the added bonus of increasing biodiversity, providing a haven for pollinators and being great to look at,” added Julian.

Take A Second Look

Julian says homes with flat roofs over living areas are ideal candidates for a green roof, which he points out are cheaper and easier to retrofit than, for example, ground source heat pumps and solar panel systems. “We’d love to see the Chancellor take a second look and consider incentivising green roof installations,” said Julian. “They are a beautiful and natural approach to roofing and insulating properties and 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.

www.wallbarn.com

Further reading on Green Homes Grant scheme here