10 | AUGUST 2020
News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
Clarification on Green Homes Grant
is here; now let’s get the window
and door market moving again
Clarification has finally been
achieved on the Government’s
Green Homes Grant Scheme today
- providing the green light for the
window and door market to get
back moving again.
Government has confirmed that
‘primary’ measures for the grant
will include insulation and carbon
heat measures. Households
will need to install at least one of
these before they’re able to use
the voucher on ‘secondary’ measures,
which include windows and
doors.
Homeowners will be able to
replace single glazing with double
or triple/secondary glazing, as
well as upgrading to energy efficient
doors. No double to double
glazing upgrades will be included,
meaning customers that had
paused orders for this purpose
will be able to place them again.
Eurocell plc, leading manufacturer,
distributor and recycler of
PVC-U windows and doors, joined
other manufacturers including Safestyle,
VEKA, Deceuninck and Duraflex,
plus industry trade bodies,
in lobbying Government for greater
clarity around the scheme in July.
Commenting on the clarity
achieved today, Mark Kelly, CEO
at Eurocell plc, said: “We’ve
been pleased to stand alongside
other manufacturers and industry
bodies to lobby Government for
clarity over the past few weeks,
in the campaign originally spearheaded
by Roy Frost, CEO at GJB
Window Systems.
“Although it’s taken longer than
we’d hoped, it just shows the
power of working together and
using multiple voices to effect
change. We now have that clarity
and can start reinstating confidence
to the market and convincing
customers who were waiting
to see if they could replace existing
double with double glazing
to start placing orders again.
“The government has put quality
assurance at the heart of the
scheme, stating that tradespeople
must register for TrustMark
or Microgeneration Certification
Scheme (MCS) accreditation to
take part. Whilst we 100% support
prioritising quality assurance
and jobs being undertaken to
the highest standard, we hope
that any additional bureaucracy
doesn’t lead to less work for
smaller companies and installers.
“The weeks since the announcement
was made have been
a real set back to the industry,
but we’re resilient and can come
back stronger. Now we have the
clarity and know exactly where
we’re at, Eurocell and our branch
network, plus fabricators and
installers alike, can return quickly
to servicing the needs of our
customers and building the sector
back up.”
www.eurocell.co.uk
NEW GGF CONSUMER CAMPAIGN
- “STAY SAFE WITH MYGLAZING”
The GGF has launched a new campaign focusing on
raising consumer confidence in the home improvement
sector due to the impact of COVID-19, as research
reveals that one in five UK homeowners still feel
nervous about letting tradespeople into their home.
The Campaign will be driven
from MyGlazing.com, the
GGF’s independent and award
winning consumer advice site.
The ‘Stay Safe with MyGlazing’
campaign will centre around a
new ‘Stay Safe’ hub, which will
be hosted on the MyGlazing.com
website and feature a series of
advice articles and top tips.
New fresh content will cover a
range of consumer related topics
following the impact of the current
pandemic, including health
and safety, trusting companies to
install domestic glazing products,
professionally but most importantly,
safely.
The ‘Stay Safe with MyGlazing’
campaign will use an independent
but bespoke survey of 1000
UK homeowners, to determine
consumer attitudes to home
improvements following the
pandemic. The results from the
survey will be distributed to
regional and national media,
reaching millions of consumers
and driving homeowners to the
‘Stay Safe with MyGlazing’ online
hub for advice.
Partnering with PR agency,
Refresh PR and digital marketing
agency, SLX Marketing, the
campaign will be supported by
search engine marketing (SEM)
and optimisation (SEO) activity
and a six month social media
drive across key consumer social
media platforms. So look out for
#StaySafewithMyGlazing on social
media platforms.
James Lee, GGF Director of
External Affairs commented:
“During the pandemic, the GGF
has worked consistently with
Government departments to
ensure we have been providing
the most accurate and up-to-date
information regarding COVID-19.
Now lockdown measures have
eased and tradespeople can begin
working again, it is time for us to
pass on the confidence we have
in our members and the industry,
to homeowners.”
“We’ve already started doing
this with the launch of our Safe
Guide for Homeowners back in
May, but we wanted to build on
this initiative to ensure we’re
providing homeowners with all
of the information they need to
confidently let tradespeople into
their homes safely.”
John Agnew, GGF Managing Director
added, “The GGF ‘Stay Safe
with MyGlazing’ campaign will
help build confidence amongst
consumers during these difficult
times. The Government has stated
that consumer spend in construction
in particular, is vital to the
economy. The GGF is investing in
this campaign to not only boost
consumer confidence but also to
help GGF Members recover from
the impact of COVID-19”.
www.myglazing.com/stay-safe