In a rare case of the Scottish Government being second place to their English cousins when it comes to welfare initiatives, it has announced a boiler scrappage scheme for Scotland, just as the English scheme comes to an end.

As with similar schemes, it is set-up to target those homes with old and inefficient boilers. It’s expected that some £2 million in grants will be made available for those Scots wishing to replace a ‘G’ rated boiler, or older, as designated by the Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK (SEDBUK) guidelines. People will be able to apply for a grant worth £400 towards an accepted replacement.

Scottish Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil said:
“Through the boiler scrappage scheme we will help people replace inefficient old boilers for new energy saving models and importantly, put money back into the pockets of householders. At the same time we are providing an economic stimulus for the heating industry, supporting jobs and helping the industry get through this financially difficult time.”

The Scottish boiler scrappage scheme is part of the devolved Government’s Energy Efficient Action Plan for Scotland. This, when finalised, will set out a range of policies and initiatives designed and put in place with the specific aim of reducing energy consumption.

The scheme starts on 24th may, 2010, and those wishing to take advantage of the gas boiler scrappage grant of £400, should either telephone 0800 512012, or seek information online at the Energy Saving Trust website. The Scottish gas boiler scrappage scheme comes under the control of the Scottish Government’s Energy Saving Scotland advice network. And as with the English scheme, vouchers get dished out on a first come, first served basis. And it will operate up until the £2 million of grant monies have been exhausted.

Rules apply of course. First and foremost, the homeowner can only redeem the £400 voucher for cash once the work is complete and then only with registered Gas Safe and CLE installers, or those belonging to The Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation.

Only an ‘A’ rated boiler is acceptable as the replacement; one certified within the Energy Saving Recommended Scheme. These are usually high efficiency condensing boilers and are over 90% efficient due to their twice-use of the energy produced.

Robert Burgon, director of The Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation, said:
“The Scottish boiler scrappage scheme will be a great opportunity for many households to upgrade their inefficient heating systems which will be costing them many hundreds of pounds each year in wasted fuel costs. Installing a new system will not only help the environment it will also help save up to £190 each year on their heating bills.

“Like many other industries the plumbing and heating sector has been badly hit by the recession and the scheme will give a boost to many of our members businesses.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The English Boiler Scrappage Scheme has been brought to a close after a very successful outing, but this has annoyed at least one industry stalwart, the Worcester, Bosch Group.

Bringing down the curtain on the English Boiler Scrappage Scheme was Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Hunt who broke the news that because all the vouchers had been successfully allocated to houses throughout England, the scheme had run dry, and is now closed to new applicants.

It was only launched in 2010 with a pot of money worth £50m and an ambition to upgrade some 125,000 household heating systems. Its primary aim was to cut carbon and help householders bring down fuel bills, but its secondary aim was to give a boost to the struggling heating industry.

The scheme centred on a £400 grant – to which the likes of British Gas and nPower added their own £400 voucher – towards the installation of an ‘A’ SEDBUK rated modern condensing boiler to replace an old ‘G’, or un-rated gas boiler from the dark ages.

But Neil Schofield, Head of Sustainable Development at Worcester, Bosch Group was not happy:
“The Chancellor’s refusal to extend the scheme is very disappointing for the heating industry and will probably mean that all the momentum and interest that has been gained from installers and homeowners in energy efficiency will be lost.”

What’s more, he pointed out that:
“There are still more than 4.5 million Band G gas boilers in operation and we must now hope that the next Government, of whatever colour, listens to the heating industry, picks up the mantle and extends this brilliant scheme further.”

So, like the car scrappage scheme, the gas boiler scrappage scheme has gone and will no doubt leave a lot of people high and dry. Pundits agree that it has been one of the more successful recession-busting measures, but there have been critics nonetheless. One of the main criticisms was the fact that although the £400 seemed a sound incentive, certain boiler engineers were already offering such discounts and some were even more. In other words, it could have been cheaper not to obtain a voucher and certainly involve less paperwork.

But, despite reservations as to its validity, it did encourage nearly 125,000 to change their old boilers and that can’t be a bad thing.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Has the dreaded time arrived when you need to look at gas boiler prices and you want to know how much it is going to cost? It is not an every-year occurrence so since the last time you ventured out, they may have changed. You may also need to know the difference between each one as there are so many to choose from.

How they work 

Two new developments in Bury St Edmunds have, by using a comprehensive Baxi heating and hot water solution, secured Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 rating.

The Baxi Group heating and hot water solution features renewable solar thermal technology.

The developments belong to the Havebury Housing Partnership and were completed last December. The first, known as Out Westgate, is a £3.7 million development of 30 new affordable dwellings on a brownfield site.

The other development – 26/26a Bloomfield Street – is made up of two ground and first floor flats. They were built for people with learning difficulties.

Both developments have been equipped with Baxi SolarfloT in-roof panels, together with a Santon Premier Plus Solar twin coil, hot water cylinders and a Potterton Promax SL heat only boiler.

This comprehensive Baxi approach is all about providing a low carbon footprint for the two developments. Indeed, Baxi claims that the system generates enough solar power to heat up to 100% of each property’s hot water in the summer and approximately 55% over the year.

James Mann, Architectural Services Manager at Havebury Housing Partnership, said:
“The Baxi SolarfloT panels have proved instrumental in achieving our Code Level 3 goal. They are easy to fit and link up well with the Santon storage cylinders and Potterton boilers to provide a complete system.

“They are also excellent for the environment and, of course, our tenants who can now look forward to substantially reduced heating bills. I’d recommend the Baxi Group approach to any housing association keen to access a single, efficient solution from one supplier which will cut the carbon emissions from their housing stock.”

The Baxi SolarfloT panels absorb heat from the sun which is transferred to a thermal fluid. This fluid then circulates to a solar coil in the base of the Santon hot water cylinder. The water then absorbs the heat and the fluid re-circulates back to the panels.

The boilers, which are used to provide the central heating and additional hot water, are Potterton Promax SLs and are fully modulating according to heat demand to ensure maximum energy efficiency. The Potterton Promax SL is a slim-line boiler which is rated ‘A’ in the SEDBUK scheme. It has a choice of five different outputs.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The animation stars Wallace & Gromit, who have proved popular on both small and large screen, are to appear in a television advertisement for nPower.

The Oscar nominated pair get the job of delivering nPower’s core message of sensible home energy consumption. nPower has over six million UK residential gas and electricity accounts and is a market leader in renewable energy.

The message is put across in 30 to 40 second formats and will air on Channel 4 and ITV (Mid West and North). Its been created by agency VCCP.

The advertisement opens with Wallace in a state of panic in a darkened room. As he hides behind a cushion, he watches a horror film on his latest invention, a homemade widescreen TV, which is in effect a number of televisions taped together.

But eventually it’s not only the horror movie that’s frightening Wallace, but the realisation that his new invention is a huge energy consuming monster. This is the cue for good old Gromit to save the day, when he gets advice as to how to cut energy consumption from nPower customer care advisor Penny.

And Penny is full of sound advice when it comes to cutting energy consumption, telling Gromit that the npower smartpower electricity monitor is a useful device which allows their customers to keep a watchful eye on how much a house’s appliances are using in terms of juice. Then the film that Wallace was watching is revealed: Revenge of the Killer Watts.

All in all, maybe not worthy of another Oscar nomination, but nonetheless using such well loved characters will no doubt make a impact with quite a lot of people.

Kevin Peake, marketing director at nPower, said:
“We’re all guilty of being like Wallace and Gromit and wasting too much energy in the home, but we want to show that there are ways where we can help our customers save energy and money.

“smartpower electricity monitors are a great tool for customers to quantify how they use energy in the home and Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit really bring this message to life.”

Agency VCCP has been working alongside Nick Park’s Aardman Animations to produce the commercial.

Sean Clarke, Head of Aardman Rights, said:
“Wallace and Gromit lend themselves perfectly to dispelling the myths around energy efficiency in the entertaining way they are famous for.”

nPower has also announced that it welcomes the news of a Welsh boiler scrappage scheme and that, as with the English scheme, it is set to become the first energy supplier to launch its own boiler scrappage scheme in Wales.

The scheme in Wales is based on the Government offering a £500 grant to around 5,000 households in Wales that are replacing ‘G’ SEDBUK rated boilers with those which have a modern ‘A’ rating.

But nPower’s scheme offers a £400 discount off a new boiler when its replaced with one that is over ten years old. And, importantly, this offer is open to consumers of all ages. This means that the under 60s, or households whose boilers are old, but not G-Rated, can still enjoy the nPower discount.

Kevin Miles, Chief Executive Officer of nPower retail, said:
“It’s vital we play our part in supporting this Government initiative. Customers can now enjoy £900 off the cost of a new boiler, which could be almost a third off the cost of an installation. This is in addition to savings of nearly £235 off an annual gas bill, compared to a G Rated boiler.

“However, with just 5,000 installs up for grabs, consumers should act quickly to avoid disappointment.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp