DETAILS ANNOUNCED BY GOVERNMENT TODAY - we praise 'plain and simple' scheme
Vouchers will be issued from 18 January.
Details of the government’s new boiler scrappage scheme for England, brought in after a successful campaign by Reheat Britain, have been announced today by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Householders will be able to claim a scrappage voucher online after obtaining a quote from a registered Gas Safe engineer.
They can then claim the money back from the Energy Saving Trust using the voucher, as long as the work is done within the next 10 weeks.
The only condition is that the boiler being replaced must be a working inefficient boiler that is rated G or worse (for people over 60, non-working boilers are included too).
Householders who want to fit renewable heat systems are also eligible to claim, and those with oil-fired heating systems.
Initially 125,000 vouchers will be available, worth £400 per boiler.
Find out more about the scheme and how to claim at the Energy Saving Trust website.
Mick Williams, founder of Reheat Britain, today congratulated the government on getting the scheme off the ground within one month of announcing it in the Pre-Budget Report, and for keeping the details simple.
Mick said:
“This is one of those win-win ideas – it cuts household bills, protects our environment, and supports local business. That’s why it has such wide support from environmentalists, industry and across the political parties.
“We set up Reheat Britain to help householders and small businesses as well as the environment, so we’re very pleased the government has listened to our arguments and launched the scheme quickly, and that they have kept the details of the scheme plain and simple.
“Providing online vouchers for the boiler scrappage incentive makes it simple for householders to claim, and the fact that any Gas Safe registered engineer can do the work means that many struggling small businesses can benefit from the scheme too.
“However, devolution means that the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments need to act separately to bring in their own boiler scrappage schemes.
“I hate to think that people in these countries will be missing out on the lower bills, greener homes and economic help that England is getting. There’s no downside to this idea, so I can’t see why these governments would let their people miss out.”
Find out more about how you can help campaign for boiler scrappage in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland here.
NEW: Petition to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Click on the map to find out how to push for boiler scrappage in Northern Ireland - the only place in the UK set to miss out!
