The UK Government’s boiler scrappage scheme to replace old inefficient models with better performing ones, announced in the December Pre-Budget Report, launched yesterday.
The scheme, kickstarted by the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband, will issue vouchers for £400 off the price of a modern A-rated boiler or renewable energy heating system like a biomass boiler or heat pump.
Up to 125,000 households with G-rated boilers will be eligible to apply for the vouchers through the Energy Saving Trust. However, the Carbon Trust estimates that there are around 3.5 million homes in England alone with inefficient boilers.
“The new scrappage scheme will help to secure 250,000 jobs across the tens of thousands of small and medium businesses involved in boiler manufacture, sales and installation that form a vital component of Britain’s low carbon economy,” said Brown.
The Government estimates that the scheme will save around 140,000 tonnes of CO2 a year – equivalent to taking 45,000 cars off the road.
“The Boiler Scrappage Scheme will save around £200 off heating bills per year for families that are replacing their old boilers,” commented Miliband. “The Scheme will add to the existing package of Government measures to help householders be smarter about the energy they use.”
npower has already announced that it will match the Government’s scheme to offer an additional £400 off the price of new boilers installed by the company, and British Gas has followed suit.