The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme will close to new applications on 31 March at 5pm.

The scheme, launched in September last year, allows property owners to claim a voucher worth up to £5,000 for energy efficiency improvements, such as the installation of double glazing.

The government boasts that £1.3bn has been earmarked to be spent on energy efficiency and low carbon heating through this year and next.

In a press release issued this weekend, the government says: “The scheme was designed to provide a short-term economic boost while tackling our contribution to climate change.

“Applications made before the end of March deadline will be honoured and any vouchers already issued may be extended upon request.”

The Federation of Master chief executive Brian Berry comments: “The misguided scrapping of the Green Homes Grant scheme sends entirely the wrong message to consumers and builders, and will harm the UK’s desire to be seen as a global leader in tackling climate change.

“Flaws with the scheme should have been addressed, in consultation with industry, with a commitment to training. Instead, we have another example of a stop-go green initiative that undermines, rather than creates, certainly for both the public and installers.

“The government needs to be more ambitious in its thinking and set out a long-term plan to upgrade our existing homes to make them greener and more energy efficient. A national retrofit strategy would address this need and allow the Government to be taken seriously as well as regain the trust of industry.

“Small, local builders who have spent thousands of pounds becoming eligible for work under the scheme rightly feel let down and angry. Without these workers on the government’s side, we will fail to retrofit our 28 million existing homes, missing the opportunities for green growth, new jobs, and to level up.”