Only £196m worth of Green Homes Grant vouchers were issued by the government during the planned £1.5bn scheme’s ill-fated run, official figures show.

The data also shows that just 52,000 households had an application approved, which compares to the government’s plan of 600,000 homes being recipients of the scheme.

In total, there were 95,700 live applications, meaning that 55% were approved for the grant. Each energy efficiency improving measure required its own voucher, which led to 43,500 being given out in total.

Launched in September 2020, the Green Homes Grant vouchers were scrapped in a surprise move in March this year, which some industry commenters branded “a missed opportunity.”

Instead, £300m will be made available to local authorities to dish out for energy efficient upgrades.

The government says that following the announcement of this decision, which offered 31 March as a final deadline for applications, 16,900 were received, totalling nearly 31,000 in total for March, making it the busiest month in the scheme’s short history.

Uswitch.com policy expert Justina Miltienyte says: “The Green Homes Grant was an innovative and well-meaning idea that hoped to increase the energy efficiency of our homes, while giving tradespeople a boost at a difficult time.

“It’s unfortunate that a flagship green policy failed to have the impact it could have done, and there are lessons that must be learned about administering such schemes.

“However, the core idea of improving the energy efficiency of our homes is solid, and it is vital that households are encouraged to make changes that cut heat loss. Without improving energy efficiency at home, we will not be able to cut carbon emissions in line with the government’s new targets.

“With the torch now passed to local authorities, we expect households should still be able to effectively use the £300m allocated towards upgrading their homes.”