Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
After months of campaigning by the plumbing and heating industry, the Government has today announced the details of the boiler scrappage scheme which will cut carbon, save money on fuel bills and generate work for plumbers merchants, plumbers and heating manufacturers.
The scheme will be operated in conjunction with the Energy Savings Trust and will run a little like the old EST scheme for condensing boilers in that householders 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 money set aside so far is for up to 125,000 households in England.
The scheme will:
– Help sustain work for the 130,000 installers and over 25 UK-based boiler manufacturers throughout the economic recovery.
– Save householders between £200 and £235 a year in fuel bills.
– Save in the region of 140,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – equivalent to taking 45,000 cars off the road
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “Today’s announcement will slash household energy bills and carbon emissions while providing an important boost for the British heating industry. This 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 campaign for the scheme – Reheat Britain – was kick-started by plumbers merchant Mick Williams when he set up a petition on the Downing Street website in July. Williams has been talking to the government to ensure that the scheme works to the benefit of the industry as well as householders.
Climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: “The Boiler Scrappage 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.
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.
“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.”
Read the Editor’s b;og on the subject here
To read more information about the scheme, take a look at our new boiler scrappage scheme pages.
