A Third of All Vouchers for the Government Boiler Scrappage Scheme Are Gone

More than a third of all of the vouchers that were available for the government’s boiler scrappage scheme have already been taken up by homeowners. Experts are already shocked that so many of the vouchers are already gone since the launch of the scheme just six weeks ago.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change said that, out of the 125,000 vouchers that are available, 57,578 have already been taken. This leaves just 70,000 vouchers left. The scheme, which was announced back in December’s pre-budget report, is designed to cut carbon and help people save money on their energy bills at the same time.

Any households with working boilers with the lowest “G” rating can apply for vouchers from the Energy Saving Trust. These vouchers have to be put towards buying an A rated boiler and installing a renewable heating system, such as a biomass boiler or heat pump.

The Energy and Climate Change secretary, Ed Miliband, said that the scheme is helping householders save around £200 a year on fuel bills and reduce emissions. This is a win, win for everyone.

All the major energy companies, which sell and install boilers, have now matched the offer, giving householders potentially £800 towards the cost of a new boiler. The Energy Saving Trust, which administers the scheme, said it has nearly 400,000 calls, which averages out to be about 5,000 a day, at each of its regional advice centers about the scheme. The high level of interest has meant that many households, which are interested in the vouchers, have had to face long waits.