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.
The grant scheme, which opened for business on 30th September, is aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s housing stock and boosting the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Grants will be available for better home insulation, new boilers, heat pumps, solar panel installations, etc.
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. “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,” he said.
“Green roofs offer brilliant insulation benefits and keep homes cooler in summer. They would be a perfect partner for the other measures already covered by the grant scheme.”
He added that homes with flat roofs over living areas are ideal candidates for a green roof, which are cheaper and easier to retrofit than, for example, ground source heat pumps and solar panel systems.
“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 said.
For more information on Wallbarn’s green roofs visit www.wallbarn.com