FAQs

General

What is the Green Home Finance Accelerator (GHFA) programme? The Green Home Finance Accelerator is a £20m innovation programme to support the development of innovative green finance products and services which can enable homeowners to decarbonise their homes and improve thermal comfort.

How can I apply for GHFA funding? The competition for GHFA funding ran between 18th October 2022 and 12pm (noon) on 14th December 2022. The competition is now closed and no further applications for funding will be accepted.

Where can I see what projects were successful in the Discovery Phase competition? Details of what projects were awarded funding will be published during Spring 2023 on the programme GOV.UK webpage.

How can I find out further information about the GHFA programme? The latest information is available on the programme website.

Who can I contact for further information? Please direct your queries to uk_ghfa@pwc.com

Eligibility Criteria & Scope

What is the eligibility criteria for Discovery Phase grant funding? The eligibility criteria for the Discovery Phase is set out within section 4 of the Competition Guidance Notes. A published Q&A document containing eligibility criteria relevant information can also be found here.

Will I be able to apply later for GHFA Pilot Phase funding? Only organisations participating in the Discovery Phase will be eligible to apply for Pilot Phase funding.

My proposal wasn’t in scope for the GHFA, where else might I be able to apply for funding? The Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, has a number of funding opportunities for low-carbon technologies and systems. Additionally, Innovate UK has launched a Net Zero Heat programme, looking to overcome system barriers to the scale out of solutions to moving off gas for heating water and space in buildings. Funding competitions opened from November 2022. To sign up for updates, please go to: https://ktn-uk.org/news/iuk-net-zero-heat-programme/

Green Home Finance Innovation Fund (GHFIF)

What was the GHFIF? The Green Home Finance Innovation Fund (GHFIF) was a previous Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy innovation competition which launched in 2019. The aim of the GHFIF was to promote the establishment of green mortgage products for homeowner occupiers for energy performance improvements. To overcome the barrier to innovation posed by high initial development costs in an untapped green finance market, the programme provided funding for the initial development and piloting of a limited number of green mortgage products and related services.

How is the GHFA different from the GHFIF? The GHFA builds on the work of the GHFIF to stimulate innovation in the green home finance market. It aims to have a stronger focus on attracting a diverse range of products beyond just green mortgage products to appeal to a broader range of able-to-pay homeowners.

The Green Home Finance Accelerator is being supported by PwC and the Carbon Trust.