Boiler Scrappage Scheme

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme has been very popular with 44% of the vouchers offering money off the cost of a new replacement boiler have been claimed as of the middle of February. A total of 54,758 vouchers that give a cashback of £400 off the cost of replacing an old boiler with a new efficient one have been claimed by the public, with only 70,000 still available before the funds are exausted.

According to the UK government, the scheme is helping many households cut their energy bills, reducing CO2 emissions and supporting thousands of jobs as the boiler installation industry receives a stimulus.

Operating in England, people who own their homes or landlords who rent their homes are eligible for the Boiler Scrappage Scheme, but social landlords, housing associations and boiler installers are not directly eligible.

It is estimated that there are about 3.5 million homes in England with the least efficient types of boiler, rated G on the SEDBUK scale.

The Energy Saving Trust who operate the scheme for the government, said it had received 400,000 calls about the scheme and from these early enquiries approximately 14% of these has translated to those taking up the offer and being issued vouchers.

Geographically the largest take-up has been in the south east of England, where 9,387 vouchers have been issued to homeowners. This was closely followed by the north west (8,186), with the smallest take-up in the north east England (3,412).

There is an opportunity for homeowners who do not qualify, say their boiler is F rated or better as many of the larger energy companies have chosen to match the £400 cut with a £400 discount of their own leading to some attractive boiler installation offers.