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What’s more, various consumer groups are already complaining that a number of home improvement grant schemes are being withdrawn, or wound-down.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

With the Government scrappage scheme in full flow, there has never been a better time to buy a new gas boiler. But as with everything, you have to know how to apply.

And British Gas is offering one of the best deals around at the moment, as they not only match the Government’s £400 grant, but add a further £400 (under their own boiler scrappage discount), then throw-in free radiator controls worth £248 and what’s more, offer a year’s free HomeCare 200 which is worth £204. In all, that’s a massive saving of £1,252.

So, if you want the chance of saving £1,252, then ring British Gas now on 0845 074 5994 for your free, no obligation consultation with one of their experienced heating advisors. They will talk you through the options open to you and provide a no obligation quote. The line is open seven days a week from 7am to 9pm.

But, remember this: the Government scheme is on a first come, first served basis, so don’t hang around if you want to save yourself upwards of £1,252. Act now and save yourself some money.

As to how it all works, there are a few things you need to know.

Firstly, you have to live in England.

Secondly, bear in mind that the boiler scrappage scheme is based on replacing less efficient boilers with more efficient boilers. This not only saves you money – it could be as much as £300 a year alone on heating bills – but it also helps save the environment. More efficient boilers means less energy needed in the first place and that means fewer emissions into the environment. In short, it’s a win-win situation for you and the Government.

Most people in the UK still run a less efficient boiler than is available on the market today. So this is the starting point.

And most boilers have for some time been rated under the Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK scheme, which thankfully gets abbreviated to SEDBUK. And the good people at SEDBUK have tested virtually all the boilers on sale, or in use, within an average property and rated them accordingly. The top rated A boilers are the most efficient and if you buy a new boiler, it has to be rated A. It means that they are way above 90% efficient and the A SEDBUK rating is the future benchmark for all future boiler installations.

So, thirdly, check the rating on your boiler. If it’s a G-rated appliance, or indeed an X-rated appliance, then you likely have a boiler which is less than 70% efficient. You can begin the process of applying for the boiler scrappage government grant. By the way, the X might have instead the words ‘Efficiency Estimated’, but either way, be assured that it’s not going to be an efficient model.

And, if you can’t find the rating, or you are just a bit unsure, you can still give British Gas a call, because although they do have a very good boiler scrappage offer, they also have great offers on other boiler installations.

Okay, you live in England and your boiler is tainted with the mark G, X, or has the words Efficiency Estimated printed across it.

The next step is to get a recognised heating engineer to give you a quote. British Gas has some of the best engineers out there, but, as always, do not let anyone touch your boiler without their being currently registered on the Gas Safe Register. Only those on the latest register are allowed, by law, to carry out work on gas appliances. But also note that not every engineer is allowed to work on all types of gas appliances, some will only have permission for certain types, so you have to be careful.

The best way to ensure you get the right engineer is go onto the official Gas Safe Register site and physically check out the engineer. This isn’t as ‘Cold War’ as it sounds. When an engineer visits, they should show you their photographic ID card which includes their ID number, their mug shot (check it’s the person holding the card), the name of their business and what gas work they are allowed to carry out. Make a note of the ID number and at a convenient moment, visit the website and load the ID number into their checking facility. It will then quickly give you an answer.

This all might sound ridiculously bureaucratic, but unfortunately, there are quite a few people who die every year through carbon monoxide poisoning, often through faulty workmanship, so just don’t take the risk.

And if you haven’t got access to the internet, telephone +44 (0)800 408 5500 for the same help and advice.

Okay, you’ve checked out your engineer and he’s got a current and valid Gas Safe Register listing. Get him to give you a quote for a new boiler as without a quote, you can’t then contact the Energy Savings Trust who administer the boiler scrappage scheme. Get hold of them via their website, Energy Savings Trust, or telephone 0800 512 012.

They check that you are qualified to benefit from the scheme and if everything is okay, they issue you with a voucher worth £400 which is redeemable from them once you get an invoice for the completed work from your engineer.

So that’s it then and okay, you might have to jump through a few hoops, but the Government are giving you £400 towards a new boiler and what’s more, choose someone like British Gas to install a new boiler for you, and you could save a whopping £1,252.

Just remember, check the efficiency rating of your boiler (if it’s G, or below), get a quote from a properly registered engineer, give that to the Energy Savings Trust, get a voucher and redeem it once you have an invoice for a finished boiler installation. Right, there’ll be a test later!

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The Government has just announced that the boiler scrappage scheme, written about in this blog a number of times (see Boiler Scrappage Scheme and Boiler Scrappage Scheme Gains Momentum), is now a reality with firms like British Gas and Baxi wading in with their support.

Now some observers have pointed out that as a new boiler, installed, can cost between £2,000 and £3,000 in total, many might regard the grant as a little miserly. Also, there’s a bit of red tape involved as well. You can’t pop down the council and ask for 400 notes, then promise you’ll have a new boiler as soon as you can get down to B&Q.

There’s a system to follow and its starts by getting an official quote from a heating engineer who’s on the current Gas Safe Register. Because, everyone should remember that only someone on the current Gas Safe Register can work on gas appliances. This is not a DIY job. And the quote has to detail the cost of replacing a Band G boiler, or equivalent, with a Band A boiler. The bands are organised in the SEDBUK (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK) rating scheme and Band G might have been used in the Titanic. A good way to tell quickly if you have an old boiler, is to see if it has a permanent pilot ignition, is it a back boiler, or was it installed before the legislation in 2005 which insisted on only modern, condensing boilers being installed?

The Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) reckon that there are still over four million Band G boilers in use in Britain today and they operate only at 70% efficiency, whereas Band A deliver 90% plus efficiency.

Right, once you have a pucker quote you contact the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and, if you qualify, they issue a £400 voucher which lasts for 12 weeks. Once you have paid for the finished installation of your new boiler, you send off the installer’s invoice and the voucher, and the EST send you £400 back. It’s on a first come, first served basis, so don’t hang about.

British Gas, who are never slow on the uptake, have quite cleverly matched the Government’s £400 with £400 of their own, meaning that you lop £800 off your installation bill – a somewhat more meaningful amount.

British Gas has the clout of course, installing around 120,000 new boilers in Britain every year.

The CEO of British Gas owner Centrica, Sam Laidlaw, said:
“If the UK is to meet its tough carbon reduction targets, it is vital that old, inefficient energy technologies are replaced. The Government’s boiler scrappage scheme is, therefore, a very welcome initiative; it will assist the replacement of the country’s four million inefficient domestic boilers with new boilers, which can improve energy efficiency by up to 30% – an important step towards lowering carbon emissions.”

His words were followed up by Phil Bentley, Managing Director of British Gas, who said:
“We want to help customers take advantage of the new boiler scrappage scheme, so we’re offering to match the Government’s £400 allowance, which means customers can cut a total of £800 from the cost of a new boiler from British Gas. As the country’s leading installer of energy efficient boilers, we know that new boilers help lower fuel bills by as much as £235 a year.”

Baxi also welcomed the scheme, with their CEO, Mark Kelly, saying:
“The boiler scrappage scheme gives a real opportunity for households to upgrade their current boiler to the most efficient available. Whilst considerably lowering the carbon footprint of each household it will also save families over £200 per year in fuel costs.

“Baxi is pleased with the timing of this announcement as we have just launched a high efficiency version of the old Baxi Bermuda back boiler, which is one of the G band boilers. Previously, a replacement meant re-siting the boiler, re-routing all the pipe work and redecorating; the new high efficiency model is a genuine, simple replacement which fits into the same place with minimum disruption.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp

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