Thousands of households will be able to apply for a £400 voucher towards a new boiler and solar thermal system when they trade in their old boiler unit.
The Government’s boiler scrappage scheme, launched last week, will enable households with working boilers with the lowest ‘G’ rating to apply for vouchers from the Energy Saving Trust, which are redeemable against an ‘A’ rated boiler or a renewable heating system such as solar hot water. There are estimated to be around 4m ‘G’ rated gas boilers in the UK.
Homeowners and tenants over 60 do not need to have a boiler in working order to qualify.
New, efficient boilers cost less to run. According to the Government, the scheme could save as much carbon dioxide emissions as taking 45,000 cars off the roads.
The scheme, which does not apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, was announced by the chancellor Alistair Darling as one of the environmentally friendly measures revealed in the pre-budget report.
An advanced solar hot water system, such as the award-winning LaZer2 designed and manufactured by Sussex-based SolarUK, provides the perfect complement to a high-efficiency boiler, as it will provide around 70% of a household’s hot water needs over the course of the year.
To qualify for the voucher, the new boiler must be fitted by an approved installer (Gas Safe registered for example), while solar hot water panels must be installed by a Microgeneration Certification Scheme accredited installer.
Homeowners need to apply for the voucher and then pay for the installation themselves before claiming back the discount through the Energy Saving Trust.
