Apply for The Green Living Scheme

In the words of Ned Stark from Game of Thrones; ‘Winter is Coming.’

And with winter, as we’ve already started to experience on the island, comes a change in weather. A drop in temperature, a chill in the air, but with the cost-of-living crisis wreaking havoc on many of our anxieties how can we stay warm and comfortable at home without racking up a bill of £1billion a month during winter or sleeping in a gilet?

I’m so glad you asked. Enterprise Isle of Man has your back with the Green Living Grant Scheme.

It’s a grant scheme providing financial support to make your home (well, homes that qualify) more energy efficient this winter. It’s open to homeowners, landlords, and tenants (who have landlord permission, which I’m sure they’ll give gladly if they’ve caught you trying to stay warm for cheap by lighting a fire in a bin in the lounge) and if you qualify, you could get up to a maximum of £5,725  in grant support per property. This can include things like double glazing, external doors, and various types of insulation. With gas and oil heating in buildings being one of the highest carbon emitting areas on the Isle of Man, these changes also make a positive impact on the reduction of those emissions. So not only will you be staying warm and cosy for cheaper, you’ll also be doing something great for our Manx environment, which you can then brag about to your workmate Aiden, who’s vegan and forever going on about how he cycles to work.

Following catastrophic weather tragedies around the world- floods in Turkey and wildfires in Hawaii to name just a few examples- a recent survey by Island Global Research showed 51% of Manx residents believe climate change is having an impact on the Isle of Man. The study also showed 75% of people are concerned about the financial cost of energy and have already started minimising the amount of energy they’re using at home. So, whether you’re doing it for the environment or not, you’re doing a great job already! This scheme might be able to reward those efforts and make things a bit easier for you. There are other benefits too; you’ll be living in a safer home – fewer middle-of-the-night concerns like ‘what if the house blows up’ – you won’t be paying excessive amounts for the basic human right of being warm and comfortable in your own space, and, regardless of your views on climate change (I know it’s a contentious topic), it’s helping our lovely, little island in a small but very significant way as government works towards the move to be Net Zero by 2050.

The initiative is part of a range of similar schemes from DEFA and  DfE, such as the Energy Doctors – who offer advice on how to conserve energy in your home and lower bills – and the Energy Efficiency Scheme, which has resulted in more than 2000 houses receiving energy-saving upgrades for free.

So far, more than 2,735 home energy audits have been completed and 597 grants approved.* So why not see if you qualify? Because when else are you going to have government upgrade your home and pay for some of it too?

The application process is simple, even I could do it, and I once locked myself out of my own phone after changing my password then immediately forgetting what I’d changed it to. (It was face recognition activated) You just need to fill out an online application form, which you can find here: dfe.im/greenliving. Then if eligible you’ll get a confirmation email from the DfE, and a domestic energy assessor will get in touch to sort a good time to conduct the Manx Home Energy Audit. Hard Copy paper applications are also available from the department.

So, spread the word, because even if the scheme isn’t for you, it may help someone you care about, and no one wants people to be cold in their own home this winter due to money worries. Unless you’re Scrooge. And we all know pre-ghost-visited Scrooge didn’t get invited to fun things for a reason. He wasn’t very nice and didn’t care about his employees freezing on a daily basis. Although, he was using coal, which is bad for the environment.. so, maybe he had a point.

To make an application for support from the Green Living Grant visit: www.dfe.im/greenliving