From April 1st 2010 British Gas are offering a £200 discount off a new boiler plus one year’s free HomeCare 200 boiler insurance worth £204. Purchases made prior to 30th May 2010 will also be offered interest free credit for a year.

Recently published figures from the Energy Savings Trust (EST) showed that as of 16th March 2010, 118,785 Government vouchers had been allocated with 35,390 A-rated boilers being installed. Since then the full allocation of vouchers has been taken up by homeowners.

However, whilst the Government’s discount is no longer available, energy firms are still offering their own incentives on new boilers.

Boiler Scrappage Schemes for Wales and Scotland are also about to get going, with the Welsh scheme to start on the April 6th 2010 by offering a £500 discount,whilst the Scottish Government has pledged £2m towards Boiler Scrappage Schemes through its Energy Assistance Package scheme.

125,000 households have taken advantage of the scheme, which offered homeowners a £400 discount off the cost of a new A-rated boiler when they traded in the old G-rated one.

Energy minister Lord Hunt said: “The scheme’s been a great success and is already helping people cut down on their fuel bills. An ‘A-rated’ energy efficient boiler can help save around £200 a year off fuel bills and reduce emissions. 

“The scheme has also provided a much needed boost to England’s plumbers and boiler manufacturers, helping to sustain work for the 130,000 installers and up to 25 UK-based boiler manufacturers throughout the economic recovery.”

Environment, sustainability and housing minister Jane Davidson said that the scheme will come into force on April 1st 2010, with £2.5m allocated to the scheme allowing up to 5,000 homes to benefit.

The scheme will reward households with a £500 voucher towards the cost of a new A-rated boiler when they replace their old G-Rated one. The switch can also save households up to £235 a year in energy costs as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Consumer watchdogs have claimed that the scheme would not help the long term sick, young families and the disabled, but Ms Davidson also announced “an additional £1.4 million to tackle fuel poverty through our Home Energy Efficiency Scheme during the next financial year.

“This additional funding underlines the Assembly Government’s ongoing commitment to tackling fuel poverty and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Wales.”

Vale of Clwyd Labour AM Ann Jones said: “This boiler scrappage scheme will save hundreds of pounds for many householders who are currently suffering from fuel poverty.”

Some 54,758 vouchers which give households a £400 discount off a new A-Rated boiler when they trade in their old G-Rated boiler have been claimed, with approximately 70,000 still available.

The scheme has been made even more attractive by some larger energy companies such as British Gas offering an addition £400 cut on top of that given by the Government. 

The EST has said they have so far received c.400,000 calls about the scheme meaning a take up rate of 14%. The South East and North West have been the biggest take-up with 9,387 and 8,186 respectively.

However, with potentially 3.5m households eligible for the scheme and over 100,000 plumbing and heating engineers in the UK, the Association of Plumbing and Heating have said the scheme “fell short” of helping those in the industry.

So far there has been no hint that the boiler scrappage scheme will be extended, and with the number of vouchers available tumbling and savings of over £200 per year to be made by switching to an A-Rated boiler, it’s advisable to move quickly if you plan on taking advantage of the scheme.

Pressure had been on the Scottish Government for some time to introduce a similar scrappage scheme to the one which has run so successfully in England since the beginning of 2010. Yesterday’s announcement marks a victory for boiler scrappage campaigners, who have included small businesses and opposition politicians.

Whilst the finer details of the scheme are yet to be made available, Salmond has promised that the Scottish Government is committing in full the £2 million Barnett ‘consequentials’ received as a result of UK Government expenditure on its boiler scrappage scheme.

The scheme forms part of the Scottish Energy Efficiency Action Plan which is due to be published in the spring. If the scheme follows the format of the one in place in England then up to 5,000 households could receive a £400 discount towards the cost of a new A-Rated boiler when scrapping their existing G-Rated boiler, providing it is in working order.

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme which is already running in England and is being administered by the Energy Savings Trust has had over 200,000 enquiries since its launch in January.

Chair of the Stormont Social Development Committee, Simon Hamilton has asked for serious consideration to be given to the introduction of a Boiler Scrappage Scheme, noting that as well as improving energy efficiency, such an incentive would provide an economic stimulus for both local manufacturers and installers of boilers and renewable heating systems.

At present the Boiler Scrappage Scheme in England has not been extended to any of the devolved regions, but following similar recent calls from both the Welsh and Scottish assemblies, Northern Ireland is now asking for such a scheme to be introduced.

Hamilton said that based on the clear advantages the scheme will bring for England, it is essential that the introduction of a similar scheme in Northern Ireland is given careful consideration. 

The Social Development Committee has already raised the issue with a motion being tabled for debate in the Assembly to examine the scope for the introduction of a similar scheme at some future stage.

Support for a Boiler Scrappage Scheme from the devolved assemblies can be registered at the following petition site: http://reheatbritain.org.uk/

The £400 vouchers should be received approximately 10 days after receipt of your application to the EST. The vouchers are valid for 12 weeks from the date of issue and are to be redeemed against a new boiler from a manufacturer of an A-rated gas, oil or LPG units, or alternatively boilers with a Passive Flue Heat Recovery Device, Micro CHP units or Microgeneration Certification Scheme-registered biomass boilers and heat pumps. Solar Thermal is also eligible if combined with an eligible boiler replacement. Electric boilers are NOT eligible.

Once you’ve received your voucher, you will need to contact your gas installer to arrange a date for installation. Please note you cannot claim the £400 discount until the boiler installation work has been completed and payment has been made in full to the installer!

To claim the £400 discount, send the voucher together with the gas installation invoice to the Energy Savings Trust – AFTER you have paid in full for the new boiler and installation work. Payment will then be issued within 25 working days from receipt of both of these items.

If the voucher is not redeemed within the 12 week period, the EST will cancel the voucher and reallocate the funding to a new applicant.

Wales is set to receive £4.07m of funding from the Treasury and it will be up to the Welsh Assembly Cabinet (WAG) as to how this money is allocated.

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme announced by the Chancellor Alistair Darling back in December was only for England, but Mrs Davidson said that the Welsh Assembly Government “is considering introducing a similar scheme in Wales, and we are currently working up a series of proposals taking into consideration the impact on those in fuel poverty, the relative carbon savings and value for money.”

Davidson did add: “If a boiler scrappage scheme is introduced to Wales, there is likely to be more emphasis on targeting fuel poor households.”

Conservative AM Alun Cairns however criticised the Welsh Assembly Cabinet for dragging its feet on the issue, claiming that: “By not adopting the English scheme the Assembly Government risks additional administrative and advertising costs, as well as confusing Welsh householders.”

Moving north of the border, communities Minister Alex Neil insisted last week that the Scottish Government had not ruled out introducing their own boiler scrappage scheme.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) confirmed the scheme had prompted 72,000 telephone calls to the EST in just the first 5 days since the scheme kicked off, as those looking to benefit moved swiftly to ensure they are one of the estimated 125,000 who could benefit from the £400 Government discount.

The EST in turn admitted the huge level of interest could result in funding reaching its limit by March. A spokesperson for the DECC said: “The scheme’s been very popular. We’re very happy with the take up. There are vouchers available and people should apply for the scheme”.

Boilerscrappagescheme.co.uk have also been inundated with enquiries from homeowners and gas engineers. The Boiler Scrappage Team have suggested one of the most effective and economic methods of making homeowners aware of gas fitting services is for approved gas engineers to create google ads, which can be quickly viewed by homeowners searching for approved gas fitters.

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme also announced “The sign-up by a large nationwide gas installer to Boilerscrappagescheme.co.uk is imminent. Once this is confirmed, visitors will not only have a SEDUK database for determining whether their existing boiler qualifies but also have direct access to approved gas fitters with excellent geographic coverage.”

Homeowners are currently finding the up-to-date Google Ads to be a very useful source for gas fitters and boiler information.

Up to 125,000 households could benefit from the scheme, including those who own their own homes and landlords who privately rent out their homes. However social landlords, housing associations and boiler installers are not eligible.

To qualify, homeowners need to have a working G-rated boiler which is the main boiler used to heat the home (although for those over 60, the boiler does not need to be in working order).

To find out if your boiler qualifies, visit our SEDUK Database or let npower identify your boiler model and efficiency rating and you may be able to save up to £800 with the npower Boiler Scrappage Scheme.

If your boiler does qualify for replacement, suppliers and qualified installers including npower will be able to provide a quotation for a new A-rated boiler or renewable heating system.

Once you have selected an installer to fit the new boiler, you’ll need to provide the Energy Savings Trust (EST) with confirmation of; the qualified installer, that they have also visited your home or property to make assessment, provided an approved quotation, together with details of the existing G-rated boiler being replaced.

Once your submission is approved, the EST will then issue a voucher worth £400 from 18th January 2010, which is valid for 12 weeks. And once the new boiler is fitted, the homeowner pays the bill in full to the installer, then claims the £400 back from the EST using the voucher, a process which should take no longer than 25 days.

Various energy suppliers including npower and British Gas, have already launched their own Boiler Scrappage Schemes, and in some cases are offering better discounts compared to the Government’s £400 discount, meaning householders could save up tp £800 through the scheme.

Friends of the Earth however have criticised the scheme for not going far enough. “The boiler scrappage scheme is a welcome initiative but pathetically small,” said climate campaigner Dave Timms. “It will only reach 125,000 households when the UK has over 4m inefficient G-rated boilers.”

Energy is precious. Get saving!

One of the original advocates of the scheme and who welcomed the pre-budget announcement, Pimlico Plumbers may have thrown down the proverbial gauntlet yesterday in an attempt to force Chancellor Alistair Darling’s hand into committing to a start date.

The festive cold period is exacerbating the nations wait for the Boiler Scrappage Scheme,while a Government is snow blind on a start date.

Utilities Fire-Up Their Own Schemes

However, help is at hand, as utility providers including nPower and British Gas have already commenced with their own Boiler Scrappage Schemes. The gas and electricity suppliers to millions of homeowners have jumped-started the scheme with their own money saving offers on new energy efficient boilers, central heating systems and insurance cover.

The energy providers lead was recently acknowledged by a Department for Energy spokesman; “Some companies are planning on making their own offers in a similar vein that will help families make the switch to more modern energy efficient boilers.

“This will kick-start a nationwide effort to save energy and cut carbon, whilst helping to sustain jobs. We will launch the scheme early in the New Year.”