Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing
lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.
Even those who know they will need to make their homes greener and are willing and able to do so face significant barriers, such as effort and cost of installation, a lack of evidence and information about which energy efficiency measures are right for them, and difficulty finding the right tradespeople for the job.
Polling shows that two thirds of homeowners in England (62%) were interested in the Green Homes Grant, and 110,000 applications were made with just 25,000 issued. A grant scheme with a clear, longer term timeline would give people the confidence and support to make greener changes to their homes, and businesses the confidence to invest in jobs, skills and qualifications.
It is estimated that designing greener British homes could create 1.2 million jobs in the manufacturing and construction industry alone, meaning that cutting the pollution from our homes is not only good for our planet, but good for our economy too.