The end of summer is fast approaching and with September experiencing some last minute sunshine you will still be enjoying the break you are having from heating your home over the summer months.

However, during the summer period you should have been thinking ahead to the winter months and getting your boiler and central heating system serviced and if necessary repaired or replaced over this quiet period.

This is because summer is the best time to get the condition of your boiler checked-out by a qualified tradesman and there are many reasons why.

Firstly, if your boiler does have a problem then it can be fixed on your own time and the repair doesn’t become an emergency as if it arose over the winter months. Having this flexibility of time would just not be a factor in winter months.

Secondly, the price may be cheaper in the summer as the engineer and their resources will not be so pressed and booked up. Many companies offer households incentive schemes in the summer months to replace their boilers as they find that their engineers are less busy over this period. Currently, British Gas is running a £400 boiler scrappage scheme on selected new boilers. This means that households who are with British Gas can get a quote to trade-in their old boiler to a newer more energy efficient Worcester boiler and save £400. The only proviso is that the quote and installation needs to take place by the 2nd October 2011.

Finally, if you have to replace your boiler completely, by doing it in the summer months it will mean that you won’t experience any loss of heating as it won’t be on anyway. This would be a real problem in the cold winter months. Also, by replacing a boiler over the summer months it will start saving you money as soon as you need to use it as the newer boiler will be much more energy efficient. This will mean that when your first energy bill of the winter months arrives, though it will be more than your summer consumption it will be less than you have experienced in the past.

If you haven’t had your boiler serviced yet this year or you know that it needs repairs or possibly replacing then it is recommended that you should look to do this as soon as possible. There is still time to book this in before the busy winter period starts and don’t forget to look out for boiler scrappage schemes to help you financially. Make sure you aren’t left in the cold this winter by getting your boiler serviced, repaired or replaced today.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

British Gas, owned by giant energy group Centrica and the UK’s largest installer of boilers, says that it has brought back the boiler scrappage scheme in order to help people reduce their energy bills and reduce emissions.

British Gas has teamed up with boiler manufacturer Worcester Bosch to offer a £400 discount which is valid when swapping a G-rated boiler (one of the worst) for an A-rated boiler (the best).

People wishing to use the scheme have to buy a Worcester Bosch high efficiency boiler and have to trade-in their old model (G-rated), in order to qualify for the £400 discount.

British Gas reckons this will be a very popular scheme and it was rolled out on 30th May, 2011 and will last until a month later, 30th June.

It is designed to emulate the success of the Government’s very popular boiler scrappage scheme which provided vouchers for those people installing new high efficiency boilers. It worked on the same principle; the vouchers were available for those who replaced an old, inefficient boiler, with a new one. The problem with that scheme was that it was capped, so thousands of people were unable to take advantage and missed out.

British Gas now intends to help all those thousands of households who were unable to make good use of the Government boiler scrappage scheme. They estimate that there are still over three million old boilers out there being used in the UK; ones that ideally need replacing as soon as possible.

British Gas says that last year alone, they installed over 120,000 new energy efficiency boilers and that the new devices can help save householders an incredible 25% off their energy usage every year.

To apply for the new boiler scrappage scheme, you don’t have to be a British Gas customer and there is no limit to the number of discounts which you can apply for, as long as they are made before the end of June.

The Energy Spring Clean Expert at British Gas, Charlie Brown, said:
“An inefficient boiler is one of the biggest sources of wasted energy and money in the home, which is why we’ve launched a boiler scrappage scheme as part of our Energy Spring Clean campaign to help consumers reduce waste and cut bills.”

He continued:
“It’s really important to ensure that your boiler is in a good condition and working efficiently during the warmer months so that there are no nasty surprises when temperatures drop. It doesn’t stop with your boiler, however: there are lots of simple changes you can make around the house to reduce unnecessary waste, such as turning down your thermostat or using a standby saver.”

Carl Arntzen, who represents Worcester Bosch, said:
“Whilst the Government led scheme ran for just a short time, it helped raise awareness of the twin issues of energy and boiler efficiency in the minds of consumers. Anything we can do to help perpetuate this has to be a good thing which is why we are supporting the British Gas scrappage scheme.”

He added:
“It is therefore important that we continue to spread the word amongst consumers about the genuine benefits available, in terms of lower fuel bills, from installing a new high efficiency boiler.”

The British Gas scheme is set to be very popular, so all those interested should apply as soon as possible.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

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 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

The Labour Government has been reported to be considering a scheme by which a homeowner could fund eco-improvements through a long term loan, possibly provided through the energy companies.

And although an inevitable row has broken out between the political parties as to whose idea it is – both the Tories and Liberal Democrats claim they had the idea first – it is a genuine attempt to help people afford home improvements with the environment in mind. We have already seen the boiler scrappage scheme has been welcomed with open arms as lots of people have jumped on the chance to buy a new gas boiler at a discount. So if it goes through it will hopefully have a positive affect.

It has always been a dilemma for anyone contemplating making changes to their house and more energy efficient, is that the pay-back can be decades.

Take double-glazing which undoubtedly makes a property warmer. Although it will save hundreds of pounds off an average energy bill every year, that won’t cover for a long time the actual cost if installation which will cost thousands of pounds.

Even the simpler job of installing loft insulation is not that cheap, especially if a householder cannot do it as a DIY project.

So the Government plan is simple: provide people with access to long term funding so they can make their home more energy efficient.

The crux is of course, can the Government afford such schemes, especially as over the coming years the public purse is going to have to be considerably tightened and home grants will be hit hard? If you look at the welcomed boiler scrappage scheme, this has proved very popular, but the scheme itself has a limited shelf life, grants for new gas boilers cannot last forever. What’s more, various consumer groups are already complaining that a number of home improvement grant schemes are being withdrawn, or wound-down. Will this result in many of the government boiler grants being forgotten by the power companies as well?

So, it’s perhaps inevitable the Government will want to involve the energy companies in the scheme. Maybe not to wholly bank roll-it, but to act as a clearing house, although you could see the temptation of ministers asking the big energy companies to put their hands in their pockets for people’s house improvements; almost a corporate tax by proxy.

But the cynics might also point out this is the period before the general election, when the Government and opposition parties alike will promise many things which are then conveniently forgotten when they become leaders.

So, it’s a great idea, but don’t hold your breath!

Guest Article by Neil Camp