The Boiler Scrappage Scheme

Industry watchers think the boiler scrappage scheme could be one of the most successful government energy saving ideas, but the £50million allocated to the scheme will soon run out. If it is going to make significant sustainable difference, then we need to find a way to fund the scheme until it achieves it's ultimate goal - replacing ALL old boilers in the UK housing stock.

early impressions say that the scheme is working well, with applications for the scrappage allowance, exceeding 3000 per day. It seems that while many heating companies and boiler manufacturers have been offering various discounts and incentives, the purchase cycle for boilers means no-one knows if they are genuine or not, now with the government scheme, whatever is the best deal from a supplier, the government chips in on top, and this is the catalyst that has got people motivated to act.

there are some obvious questions

- what happens when the money runs out?
- can the industry cope with this spike in demand?
- why is it only applicable in England?

the easy answer on demand is YES, newbuild construction is way down, so the workforce can easily adapt to upgrading existing stock instead.

the other two points are somewhat more political, and with an election imminent, we can assume that the key issues in the spotlight will not include boiler scrappage. Any government needs to stay interested in and focussed on reducing carbon footprint, so will this scheme survive? I doubt it, but would like to think that it may be extended, say for the first year of the new parliament, this will allow people to tackle the replacement issues in the summer and early autumn when CH usage is not essential. It is no different from various other insulation incentives that have been running in various guises for a number of years - and if you feel really strongly about it, lobby your MP, they should be more than eager to listen in the next few weeks, especially if they are in a marginal seat!

I re-iterate what I have said previously, improving efficiency in standard systems is as effective as installation of renewables, so let's hope this scheme survives.

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