Green Deal moves a step closer

The Government's replacement for the warm-front home energy efficiency scheme - the Green Deal - could be worth up to £10,000 of energy efficiency measures for your home.

Ministers are already drawing up plans for the new scheme to be vigorously protected from shoddy workmanship, with strict rules on the accreditation levels home improvement companies will have to attain, to be able to carry out work.

The Green Deal will help homeowners install energy efficiency improvements without having to pay up front for the installation costs. Instead, the cost savings a homeowner would have made on their energy bills will be used to pay back the installation costs.

There's no details yet of which home improvements will qualify or homes for that matter, however, the Government is already considering plans to help vulnerable people and homes that may be hard to treat with the Green Deal.

A new 'Green Deal Code' has been proposed to help protect homeowners throughout the process - from initial assessment to final installation. There's also plans for a Green Deal advice helpline, to assist homeowners with impartial advice and referral to accredited installers, as well as dealing with any complaints.

Whilst the double glazing industry hopes replacement windows will be one of the efficiency measures announced, it's more likely that the scheme will still be restricted to predominately loft and wall insulation, although replacement energy efficient heating boilers may be included - depending on the overall cost savings such an installation will provide, compared against the cost of initial installation.

Renewables and micro-generation companies are also waiting to see if their products will be included in the list of 'approved' measures.

The 'up-front' money for the improvements is going to be provided my a mix of Government and private investment, including, it's rumoured, some familiar high street names.

UPDATE: Since this story was first written, it's been suggested by spokespersons at the DECC that the £10,000 cap may not be correct and that in fact, providing the energy saving / efficiency method proposed can re-coup its initial installation cost within a given time-frame, then there may be no cap at all.

Warm Front or Boiler Scrappage Scheme?

At the beginning of January (2010), we launched our new site HeatingQuoter, coinciding with with the launch of Government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme. We’ve been astounded at the popularity of our newest Quoter website, with over 1,000 homeowners using the site within the first 24 hours to get an instant online quote for their replacement boiler or central heating system installation.

Industry figures suggest that there may be as many as 4.2 million central heating boilers currently being used in homes around England that are eligible for the scrappage scheme, and the Government has estimated more than 125,000 households stand to benefit.

If your boiler has a permanently lit pilot light, is more than 15 years old and gas fired, then it’s likely to qualify for the Boiler Scrappage Scheme.

Two national power companies have already promised to match the £400 allowance with £400 of their own in an attempt to entice homeowners to their business and use their own installation services.

However, charity body Help The Aged has warned pensioners and low-income households receiving benefits to check their eligibility for the Government’s Warm Front scheme before committing to the Boiler Scrappage Scheme. The Warm Front scheme offers up to £3,500 to qualifying households towards the cost of loft insulation, draught excluding and the repair or replacment of heating systems.

Once you have received a grant from either Warm Front or the Boiler Scrappage Scheme, you will not be eligible to apply for the other – so Help The Aged advises pensioners or those on benefits to apply for the Warm Front scheme first. If your Warm Front application is unsuccessful, you can still apply to the Boiler Scrappage scheme.

Mervyn Kohler of Help the Aged added, “If you are not claiming means-tested benefits then we’d recommend you apply for the Boiler Scrappage Scheme.”

Both schemes have a cap on the total amount available to spend in any given year – so if homeowner interest is high, funds may well run out before everyone eligible has applied. This means it will pay to start making enquiries sooner rather than later if you think you have an older boiler that may me eligible for Government funding.

Whether you’re applying for Warm Front or the Boiler Scrappage Scheme, or you just have an old boiler that needs replacing, you can find out more and get a free online quote from HeatingQuoter.co.uk

Experts also predict a £200 a year energy saving, with a new energy efficient boiler fitted compared to older G-rated models.