The Government scheme, which launched back in September, aims to support improvements to energy efficiency. Certain energy-efficiency measures, such as insulation and double glazing, make homes and buildings more airtight leading to an increased risk of being exposed to indoor air pollution, which can significantly impact health and wellbeing. 

As a consequence of this potential harm to occupants, the Government’s scheme provides for ‘repairing and improving controlled ventilation’ alongside insulation measures, which presents a critical opportunity to tackle poor IAQ and maintain healthy homes. With increased awareness, more people will be asking for ventilation improvements and installers will be ensuring that this is achieved.

It is essential that ventilation installations extract poor indoor air at the correct levels and that these are installed alongside insulation measures to ensure the safety of occupants, as well as complying with building regulations.

To help homeowners and installers identify which products meet these standards, the ventilation sector has established the ‘Green Homes Compliance Scheme’, which identifies those products that meet certain performance standards.

As the UK enters another lockdown, the scheme comes at a poignant time given the growing evidence of the airborne transmission of COVID-19. This month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released information on the importance of ventilation in reducing the spread of COVID-19, and a paper published in October by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and Environmental and Modelling Group (EMG) advocated for the important role played by ventilation. The Green Homes Grant and the new Green Homes Compliance Scheme offers a prime opportunity for improving ventilation and potentially opening the door to healthy and safe indoor environments in a post-COVID world.

Commenting on the situation, Colin Timmins, head of the My Health My Home campaign and director of member services at BEAMA, stated: “There is no doubting the potential value of the Green Homes Grant, however it is essential that installers and the public are aware that the vouchers can cover ventilation improvements alongside insulation installations. With the growing evidence-base around the health impacts of poor indoor air quality, this represents a key opportunity to drive ventilation standards and protect people’s health. The Green Homes Compliance Scheme seeks to facilitate this.”

You can find out more about the Government’s Green Homes Grant and the new Green Homes Compliance Scheme by visiting www.myhealthmyhome.com