The government is axing the Green Homes Grant scheme from 5pm on March 31 – putting a much criticised scheme out of its misery with almost no notice.

Thousands of landlords who had expressed a desire to use the scheme to secure financial help in making properties more energy efficient will now be denied the opportunity.

An announcement by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on Saturday afternoon said: “Following a review, the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme launched last year will close to new applications on 31 March at 5pm. 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.”

In the announcement the government gave no indication as to whether the Green Homes Grant would be replaced by new incentives for landlords and other home owners to promote energy efficiency.

Instead it’s been revealed that £300m previously allocated for the Green Homes Grant will now go into a programme administered by local authorities, targeted at lower income households.

The GHG scheme – introduced last September – was initially welcomed by many, including landlord bodies, but shoddy implementation made the scheme fall into disrepute.

There were more than 123,000 applications for the grant by the end of February, but only 28,000 vouchers had been issued and just 5,800 energy efficiency measures had been installed.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business and Energy Secretary, says: “Upgrading the country’s homes with energy efficiency measures means we can cut emissions and save people money on their energy bills.”