Half the money spent on fuel bills goes on heating and hot water and investing in a new energy-efficient boiler will ultimately be the first step in reducing your outgoing cost.
Energy Saving
Modern boilers are more efficient because they are all condensing boilers. A condensing boiler has a larger heat exchanger, so it recovers more heat, sends cooler gases up the flue, and is more efficient.
Your boiler can account for around 55% of the amount you spend on your annual energy bills, so an A-rated energy-efficient boiler really does make economic sense. According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), you could save up to £540 a year on your energy bills (estimate based on replacing an inefficient G-rated boiler with a new A-rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls in a semi-detached house).
What are the benefits of replacing my old boiler with a brand-new A-rated boiler?
- Savings on your energy bills
- More efficient heating
- Improves the energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of your home
- Helps to reduce your carbon footprint
- Improved living conditions which are vital to health and wellbeing
- Manufacturer warranty is supplied, which gives you peace of mind.
Low-carbon alternatives to heating your home
With gas prices rising at a dramatic rate and the energy price cap having increased from the 1st April, the government is putting greater emphasis on low-carbon alternatives to heating homes, including renewable technologies such as air source heat pumps.
According to the Government 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the aim is to achieve 600,000 heat pump installations by 2028 and incentivise householders to install more environmentally friendly heating systems, rather than fossil fuel-hungry boilers.
One way the government is encouraging householders to install an air source heat pump, to help reduce their carbon footprint, is through their recently launched Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Grants of £5000 towards the cost of an air source heat pump installation, are available for eligible homeowners.
Are there any grants available for a new boiler?
Funding may be available from the government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme. This is an obligation on energy companies to provide funding for energy-saving measures, by the government, to upgrade the energy efficiency of the country’s worst-performing housing and to provide fuel poverty support. ECO4 funding is available for households with low incomes, in receipt of qualifying benefits, and with a low property EPC rating. This is part of a wider government strategy to reduce carbon emissions, tackle fuel poverty and help householders save money on their energy bills.
Through the ECO4 scheme, it is expected that there will be a maximum cap on the number of boilers funded through the scheme. This is all part of the government’s strategy to move towards alternative ways of heating homes across the UK.
