Prime Minister
Gordon Brown and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband
will today kick start a national scheme to upgrade household
heating systems to cut carbon, save money on fuel bills and
sustain work for the heating industry.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Energy and Climate Change
Secretary Ed Miliband will today kick start a national scheme to
upgrade household heating systems to cut carbon, save money on
fuel bills and sustain work for the heating industry.
Up to 125,000 households in England with working “G-rated”
boilers can from today apply through the Energy Saving Trust for a
voucher which will entitle them to £400 off the price of a new,
modern “A-rated” boiler or a renewable heating system like a
biomass boiler or a heat pump.
The Government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme has already triggered
some companies to complement, and in some cases match, the offer
and it is expected others will follow suit. This will extend the
scheme to many more householders and safeguard work for the
heating industry. People are advised to shop around to find the
best deal which suits them before applying to the Scheme.
The Government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme will:
- Help sustain work for the 130,000 installers and over 25
UK-based boiler manufacturers throughout the economic recovery.
- Save money. A household's energy bill could be cut by
between £200 to £235 a year.
- Save carbon. Replacing 125,000 G rated boilers should save in
the region of 140,000tCO2 per year - equivalent to taking 45,000
cars off the road
The Prime Minister said:
“Today’s announcement will slash household energy bills and
carbon emissions while providing an important boost for the
British heating industry. The Government’s 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. The scheme shows how this Government continues to
invest in the British industries and jobs of the future.”
Ed Miliband said:
“The Boiler Scrappage Scheme will save around £200 off heating
bills per year for families that are replacing their old boilers,
and in total will save the same amount of carbon equivalent to
taking around 45,000 cars off the road.
“The Scheme will add to the existing package of Government
measures to help householders be smarter about the energy they
use, leading to permanently reduced fuel bills and cutting
emissions.”
Fraser Winterbottom, Chief Operating Officer, Energy Saving Trust said:
"We know that people will act on larger energy
efficiency measures like replacing boilers when they are both good
for the environment and cost effective for them. They also need to
be able to trust the claims that are made around energy efficiency
measures. The Energy Saving Trust is impartial, can provide this
assurance, and can provide information to help people assess
whether their boilers are eligible. If you have access to the
internet you can go on line to check whether your boiler is G
rated or if you prefer, our expert nationwide advice centre staff
are also available to advise you over the phone. We are here to
help."
Roger Webb from the Heating and Hot Water Industry Council, the
trade association for the Heating industry said:
“HHIC strongly welcomes the initiative to replace old inefficient
boilers. We have been campaigning diligently for a long time and
given the importance of meeting the government’s emission targets
this will make a significant difference. Householders are
naturally reluctant to replace a working boiler even though it is
wasteful on energy and so an incentive to do this is vital. We are
delighted that the government is giving the green light to enable
householders to replace an old inefficient boiler with a new
energy efficient model and by doing so recognising that a new
boiler can really improve energy efficiency. The scheme is good on
many levels because householders could see a large reduction in
their energy bills, the major carbon savings resulting from
replacing inefficient products will help climate change and
finally for UK Industry and employment because most boilers
installed are actually manufactured in the UK.”
Notes to Editors
1. To find out more about the Government’s Boiler Scrappage
Scheme and to register, contact the Energy Saving Trust by
visiting www.est.org.uk or
calling the advice line on 0800 512 012
2. The Boiler Scrappage Scheme joins the package of Government
measures to improve household energy efficiency. These include
CERT, an obligation placed on energy suppliers to offer energy
efficiency measures to households; the Warm Front scheme, targeted
at pensioners and those on qualifying disability or income related
benefits, to provide heating and insulation measures which could
reduce fuel bills; Decent Homes, a programme to improve the energy
efficiency of social housing; CESP, the community energy savings
programme funded by an obligation on energy suppliers and
electricity generators; and Pay As You Save trials, which are
currently being piloted in five areas to test out new ways to
finance whole house energy makeovers. In conjunction with the
rollout of smart meters and the introduction of cashback for the
generation of renewable heat and electricity, Government is
helping householders be smarter with their energy use.
3. According to the HHIC, the average cost of a boiler and
installation is around £2500.
4. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is central to the
UK Government’s leadership on climate change. We are pushing hard
internationally for ambitious effective and fair action to avert
the most dangerous impacts. Through our UK Low Carbon Transition
Plan we are giving householders and businesses the incentives and
advice they need to cut their emissions, we are enabling the
energy sector’s shift to the trinity of renewables, new nuclear
and clean coal, and we are stepping up the fight against fuel poverty.
Contacts:
Department of Energy and Climate Change
nds.decc@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Philippa Heap
Phone: 0300 068 5218
philippa.heap@decc.gsi.gov.uk