If social landlords already have Energy Performance Certificates for their properties, and these are less than two years old, they will be able to apply to the scheme without requiring a Green Deal Assessment.
Amber Rudd MP, climate change secretary, said: “Renewable heating is a win-win for everyone – landlords, tenants and the environment.
“Social landlords often provide homes for some of the most vulnerable people, by making the RHI more accessible to them, we hope more of their tenants will be able to enjoy warmer homes and lower bills.”
Andrew Burke, of the National Housing Federation, said: “These changes to the RHI will reduce the unnecessary bureaucracy and costs for Social Landlords applying for RHI but the real benefit will be for their tenants, who will have warmer homes and lower energy bills. Renewable heating makes a big difference by reducing fuel poverty in off-gas grid areas.”
A further change to the domestic RHI scheme will see the list of eligible technologies expand to include cooker stoves from Spring 2015. They will receive the biomass tariff of 12.2p/kWh.