Up to 125,000 households with working boilers with the lowest “G” rating in England can apply for vouchers from the Energy Saving Trust towards “A” rated boilers or renewable heating systems such as a biomass boiler or heat pump.

The Government said the £50 million scheme will save as much carbon as taking 45,000 cars off the roads and will also cut a household’s energy bill by up to £235 a year.

The average cost of a boiler and its installation is around £2,500, according to the heating industry.

Some energy companies are planning to complement and even match the Government offer with money-off initiatives for upgrading to more efficient boilers – so that more householders can take advantage of the scheme.

The Government said the programme would also help sustain work for the 130,000 installers and 25 boiler manufacturers in the UK during the recession.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is launching the scheme with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband today, 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.”

Mr 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.”

A spokesman for British Gas announced that it would match the Government’s pledge of £400.

The company’s managing director, Phil Bentley, 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.”

For example, this means by upgrading your G-rated boiler to a Vaillant A-rated condensing boiler, you can save over a third on your home heating bills. *

Please note:
i) If you are a householder (including tenants) under 60 you can only apply for the scheme if the boiler you are scrapping is in working order and is the main boiler used to heat the home.

ii) If you are a householder (including tenants)and 60 or over you can apply for the scheme regardless of whether the boiler you are scrapping is in working order. However, it still needs to be the main boiler used to heat the home.
Only householders and landlords who privately own and rent dwellings are eligible to apply for a voucher. Boiler installers and manufacturers, local authority registered social landlords, and housing associations are not eligible to apply.

To find out more please visit Flame FX ltd

 The UK has one of the most ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets in the world. The installation of an efficient heating system is an effective way of reducing household energy bills and CO2 emissions, as domestic heating accounts for 14 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions.

Along the same lines as the proposed Government Boiler Scrappage Scheme, Npower will offer £400 off a new boiler when they replace one that’s more than 10 years old. It said that people do not have to be Npower customers to qualify, the only stipulations are that the boiler is bought and installed by Npower.

The Chancellor said on Wednesday that householders will be able to claim £400 towards the cost of a new energy-efficient boiler under a scrappage scheme for old boilers announced by the Chancellor in his pre-Budget report.

The £50m scheme, which will benefit only people living in England, is likely to be funded entirely by the taxpayer.

Mr Darling said: “Building on our successful car scrappage scheme, I will help up to 125,000 homes replace the most inefficient boilers with new models.” Each inefficient boiler added more than £200 to household bills and one tonne of carbon to the atmosphere a year, the Chancellor added.

A Treasury spokesman said: “Households in England will be able to claim up to £400 if they replace an inefficient boiler – rated G or worse – with an energy-efficient one or with another renewable technology.”

He added that the detail of how the process would work had not been worked out, although consultations were taking place with the boiler industry. “But if the scheme is based on the car scrappage scheme, we hope claiming the incentive would be handled by the retailer.”

The scheme would begin as soon as possible in the new year, the spokesman said, and would run until the funding was used up.

Teign MP Richard Younger-Ross, who tabled an early day motion calling on the Government to support the scheme, said: “I am pleased the Government is taking note of the campaign and that we have influenced its thinking.

“This is a great scheme both in terms of the environment and creating new jobs. There are 4.5m boilers in the UK which are less than 70pc efficient and by replacing just some of these with new efficient condensing boilers, we could save thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions, create more work for British manufacturers and in turn create new jobs.”

According to uSwitch, the energy comparison website, heating and hot water account for £756 a year on average so it makes absolute sense to focus energy efficiency efforts here, where people have the most to gain. Installing a modern efficient boiler can save up to £235 a year on heating bills.

Will Marples, an energy expert at uSwitch.com, the price comparison service, said: “However, for many families and households the cost of buying one and having it installed is prohibitive. Hopefully this new scrappage scheme will put it within reach of more people. For this to really work we’d like to see poorer families and vulnerable groups able to benefit from the scrappage scheme as well as existing grants and not be pushed to choose one or the other.”

The energy saving recommended endorsement scheme endorses products which exceed minimum performance specifications. It is a logical extension of the long running energy saving campaign to raise awareness and help consumers make environmentally conscious purchase decisions. The scheme is managed by the Energy Saving Trust, who decides the specifications with advice from an independent endorsement panel. To join the scheme manufacturers have to apply to the Energy Saving Trust and meet certain conditions.

Endorsed products may show the energy saving recommended logo. The logo makes it easier for people to recognise energy efficient products, and is now appearing on fridges, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, tumble dryers, light bulbs, gas boilers and heating controls. Gas boilers must have a SEDBUK efficiency of at least 90% (band A) to qualify. Oil Boilers must have a SEDBUK efficiency of at least 86% (band B) to qualify.

The Energy Saving Trust supports the Boiler Efficiency Database by publishing the little blue book of boilers. The book contains details of current boilers rated at SEDBUK band D or above. Trade companies such as installers and builders merchants can order copies of the book by calling 0845 727 7200.

The scheme is due to be launched in early 2010 and will give households with a G-rated (the lowest efficiency level) boiler £400 towards the cost of a new boiler or renewable heat unit.

Consumers can find what rating their current boiler is at How to apply for the boiler scrappage scheme

The ‘Greener Boiler Incentive’ will cost the government £50million in 2010/11.

It is being provided alongside by an additional £150million for the Warm Front Scheme which gives up to £3,500 for insulation and heating to homeowners or those who rent from a private landlord and receive certain benefits.

News that the amendments to Approved Document G of the Building Regulations have been postponed has come as a disappointment to members of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA).

The new regulations are now scheduled to come into force on 6 April 2010, six months after the original launch date, due to objections from within Europe.

The BMA technical committee, headed by Chris Taylor-Hamlin, Technical Executive at the BMA, had been working hard over recent months to ensure that its membership was fully, aware of the requirements of the new regulations. Individual members had developed products which would assist developers and builders to fully conform to the amended regulations.

Reacting to the news that changes to Part G had been postponed, Yvonne Orgill, Chief Executive of the BMA, says: “Our members are concerned by this delay. The new law is intended to save water, save energy and, more importantly, save lives. It was so disappointing to learn that objections had been raised in Europe to some of the clauses.

“But ours has never been an industry to stand still and, in spite of the delays, members of the BMA will continue to develop, create and market innovative products which will help builders, developers and installers meet the requirements of Part G when they do finally become law.”

Steve Rothwell, Sales and Marketing Director of Deva, has also weighed in on the delay of Part G. He says: “The postponement is disappointing, but all those affected now have a bit more time to ensure they’re fully up to speed. We’re confident that discrepancies will be ironed out swiftly and the revisions won’t be altered dramatically.”

 Simon Ball, CEO of Cover- zones, comments: “There is a clear need for greater guidelines on insurance for people working in the plumbing and heating industry. Imagine a situation where someone installing a new boiler broke a gas or water pipe, which caused severe damage to a home or worse. The fitter involved could face a serious expense, even bankruptcy, when dealing with the resulting litigation.

 ”It should be made clear to these tradesmen that their business faces many risks which can be mitigated with the appropriate level of cover. Although plumbers may be facing a trying time with the current economy, cutting cover is a false economy and could result in claims which could be crippling for a business.”

 Public liability

 Alarmingly, 6% of plumbing and heating contractors said that they have looked into any form of public liability cover. Coverzones points out that while contractors may assume that they are covered for public liability from their employer’s insurance policy, this may not be the case. While it is true that their employer will need Employer’s Liability Insurance, this does not necessarily provide cover for their work with the public.

 ”Plumbing and heating often involves working with chemicals, welding materials and other potentially harmful materials, so public liability is a crucial insurance to protect the public and employees,” adds Ball. “It seems that without the guidance of a trade body providing insurance guidelines, beyond the legal requirements, many contractors and employers suffer from a lack of understanding in terms of necessary cover for temporary or project-based staff. Clearer guidelines from professional bodies are essential to ensure that in this increasingly litigious time, our small businesses are not at risk.”

This article was located in the PHAM News oct’09

Research carried out for Gas Safe Register (GSR), the successor to Corgi, shows that 100,000 gas cookers and hobs are installed illegally every year by fitters without the required skills or qualifications to carry out the work.

GSR interviewed 427 workmen and found that 94% were fully or partially qualified to work with gas appliances.

Yet the figures also indicate that workers who are not fully qualified and those that do not hold any qualifications at all are carrying out up to 250,000 jobs a year involving gas, in particular pipework, cookers and hobs.

GSR said there are about 7,500 “hard core” illegal gas fitters operating in the UK. They are easy to identify because they are usually prepared to work cash in hand and undercut qualified fitters.

Homeowners are risking their lives by using “cowboy” gas fitters in an attempt to save money, a government body has warned.

Research carried out for Gas Safe Register (GSR), the successor to Corgi, shows that 100,000 gas cookers and hobs are installed illegally every year by fitters without the required skills or qualifications to carry out the work.

GSR interviewed 427 workmen and found that 94% were fully or partially qualified to work with gas appliances.

Yet the figures also indicate that workers who are not fully qualified and those that do not hold any qualifications at all are carrying out up to 250,000 jobs a year involving gas, in particular pipework, cookers and hobs.

GSR said there are about 7,500 “hard core” illegal gas fitters operating in the UK. They are easy to identify because they are usually prepared to work cash in hand and undercut qualified fitters.

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