Unfortunately, if you are in a council owned property, it is their responsibility to ensure that your heating system/boiler is working correctly. Boiler grants are not available to those in housing associations or council properties.

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However, keep your eyes on the news, as in April/March there are due to be some changes made to the ECO Boiler Scheme system which might make you entitled to claim for a free boiler replacement under the scheme.

If you are in a privately owned property and you are a ‘private tenant’, we strongly recommend that you check if you qualify for a free boiler before the grants come to an end. Typically a new boiler install will cost somewhere in the region of £4,000 to be completed. A grant could cover the full cost of the new install!

What benefits are needed?

The type of benefits are generally related to the households income. We call these, income-related benefits. Typically, you will get the correct benefits if you have a very low-income, are a single parent, or an older (pensioner) with little to no savings. We’ll cover these in more details below.

Some benefits qualify for a free boiler automatically. These include Pension Credit and Child Tax Credit (household income below 15,860).

What is Pension Credit?

Pension credit is a top-up to your standard state pension. If you receive a standard pension, you won’t qualify. If you get Pension Credit, you will qualify for a free gas boiler. For more details on Pension Credit – https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit

What is Child Tax Credit?

If you have a new born baby, or a child under 16, you could qualify for Child Tax Credits. If you get child tax credits and your income is below £15,860 then you can have a boiler installed for free. For more details on Child Tax Credit – http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/start/who-qualifies/children/children-taxcredits.htm

If you are a tenant in privately rented accommodation, you could have your old boiler replaced free of charge via the ECO Scheme. The ECO boiler scheme has been set up to provide free home efficiency improvements to low-income households, this scheme applies to home owners and private tenants.

Are you a private tenant in receipt of UK benefits?

If you live in England, Wales or Scotland and you live in a private rented property, you could qualify to have your boiler replaced if you receive the correct income-related benefits. If your current boiler is over 7 years old, or is broken/faulty, you could qualify for a 100% free gas boiler via the Governments ECO Scheme. Free boilers are only available to private tenants, they are not available to council tenants or housing associations.

I am a Council Tenant, can I get a Free Boiler?

Unfortunately not. Free replacement boilers are only available to those in private tenant accommodation, these are private tenants. You will have a landlord who owns the property and you pay your rent to that landlord. If you are in a council property, it is the council who owns it and they must maintain it for you. If you are a private tenant and wish to see if you qualify for a free boiler, go to http://www.boilergrants.org.uk

100% Free Boilers via Free Boiler Replacement Scheme 2014

The boiler replacement scheme helps private tenants to access free boilers if the current one is old or faulty. The scheme is funded by the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers who have been ordered by the Governments to help those at risk of fuel poverty or in low-income households. Free boiler grants are available to private tenants, landlords and home owners.

Are you a private tenant? See if you qualify for a free boiler.

Today, we’re going to cover some quick questions which are asked on an all too regular basis. When something is advertised as ‘FREE’, you automatically think that the deal is too good to be true. So, we’re going to run over all of the details which should help inform you about the free boiler replacement scheme.

Who pays for the free boilers under the scheme?

Well, the free boiler replacement scheme installations are funded by the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers. So, the likes of british gas, EON, EDF, SSE etc. However, don’t think that they are doing this just because they want to be kind. Over recent times, you may have noticed a little extra part on your energy bills, a small amount pays towards an ECO/Green account. So in essence, everyone has been putting money in to this pot, it just so happens now that the Governments has turned around to the energy suppliers and ordered them to start spending this money on those in low-income households and fund things like free boiler replacements, free cavity wall insulation and loft insulation.

Do you have to re-pay the money back?

No. The free boiler replacement scheme is a fully funded grant based system. This is not to be confused with a Green Deal Loan. You do not have to re-pay the money back at any point. This is a free replacement boiler scheme.

How long does the free boiler scheme take?

If you qualify to have a free replacement boiler under the ECO scheme, it should take around 4 weeks from start to finish. This is the point from having your property surveyed and up to the date of the actual install. See if you qualify under free replacement boiler scheme.

Who installs the Boilers?

All of the boilers under the scheme are installed by local, approved companies and carry a warranty. Each installer has to be green deal registered to install under the free boiler replacement scheme. They will also be gas safe.

What type of boilers are installed?

This all depends on the company which you are dealing with. All boilers which are installed via the scheme are ‘A’ rated, the boilers will all be from top manufacturers including Vailliant, Baxi, Glow Worm, Worcester & Ideal.

Do I get new heating controls under the Boiler Replacement Scheme?

If you property requires new heating controls, then yes, you will. All installs will have a programmer required and thermostatic radiator valves on 50% of the radiators.

Want to apply for the free boiler replacement scheme?

www.boilergrants.org.uk

Check if you qualify for a free boiler

Why aren’t full heating system grants available?

We’re unsure. It’s more than likely due to the high costs and potential complications involved when installing a full gas central heating system in to a property. The cost of the pipework, labour and other materials would be so high that it would be uneconomical to fund such installs 100% free of charge. If you currently have a gas central heating system, but your boiler is very old an in-efficient, then you should consider applying for a free replacement boiler under the ECO Scheme. Check if you qualify for a free boiler here.

Who qualifies for a free replacement gas boiler?

If you wish to see who qualifies for a free replacement boiler, or to see if you qualify, check out the following image. It is all benefits related and you need receive a certain type in order to get your hands on a free boiler grant.

Will grants be available for full gas central heating systems?

It’s uncertain what is going to happen with the grant system. As with anything which is grant related, there are never any guarantees so it’s best to keep checking on our blog and watch the news. They making changes on a very regular basis, so it may be available soon.

It’s not always just down to the type of benefits which are being received. It is also down to the type of boiler which is present in the property, it needs to be over a certain age (cant be a condensing/A Rated boiler) or it needs to be broken/in-efficient.

What benefits are needed to claim a free boiler?

There are three different groups which will qualify you for a free replacement gas boiler under the UK Governments ECO Scheme. We’ll go over the ones which qualify automatically first.

Pension Credit – Automatically qualifies for a Free Boiler

This is a top-up to your standard state pension. This is not to be confused as a standard Pension. If you receive Pension Credit as one of your benefits, you qualify automatically for a free replacement boiler.

Child Tax Credits (Income less than £15,860) – Qualifies for a Free Boiler

If you receive Child Tax Credits and your household income for last year was less than £15,860, you will also qualify automatically to have your old gas boiler replaced 100% free of charge. Your income needs to be less than £15,860 in order to qualify. ECO was designed to help low-income households to access free replacements boilers and home insulation.

Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) & Income Support.

If you receive one of the above benefits, you tick one of the boxes in order to qualify for a free replacement boiler. However, in this group, you will also need need to meet one of the following qualifying components below;

• Have a Child Under 16
• Have  a child under 30 in full-time education
• Child tax credits including a disability element
• Disabled child premium
• Disability Premium
• Pension Premium

If you receive Income-Related Employment & Support Allowance and receive a Work Related Activity Group or Support Component then you should also technically qualify for a free boiler as long as you have an old boiler which is in-efficient.

Working Tax Credit (Income Less Than £15,860)

If you receive working tax credits and your income is less than £15,860, then yes, you should qualify for a free replacement boiler under the governments ECO Scheme if you also receive one of the below ‘qualifying components’.

• Responsible for a child under the age of 16 who lives at the property
• Responsible for a child aged between 16 and 20 in full time education other than higher education
• Receive a disabled worker element or severe disability element
• Be aged 60 or over

If you fit in to one of the above groups, then you should qualify for a free replacement boiler.

Are you the home owner, private tenant or a landlord?

In order to apply for a boiler grant, you must be the home owner, private tenant or landlord. You can not apply for a free boiler if you are in a council property or housing association.

Is your current boiler broken, old, or in-efficient?

You may fit in to the above, but, to replace a boiler for free, the current one needs to be over 7 years old (not A rated/condensing) or be broken.

For more information on boiler grants: www.boilergrants.org.uk 

Since launching in 2013, the free boiler scheme has been extremely successful and provided thousands and thousands of homes up and down the UK with reliable and efficient heating. If the scheme was not introduced in 2013, those in need of home efficiency improvements would have been quite literally, left out in the cold. New boilers are not cheap to install. Far from it.

Due to the Boiler Schemes popularity in 2013, it’s hit the ground running in 2014. With more and more home owners and private tenants taking advantage of the scheme, the word spreads fast.

Why Was The Boiler Scheme so Popular in 2013?

It’s like anything. If it’s free, you will want to take advantage of it.

Why was the boiler scheme started?

It was started to help those in fuel poverty, or those in low-income households access boiler replacements which would be fully funded. Typically, a new boiler installation costs £2,000. To have that cost covered was crucial to its success.

If you want apply for a free boiler, or to see if you qualify, visit – www.boilergrants.org.uk

So, what is the ECO Boiler Replacement Scheme? It is a scheme which was set up to help people in fuel poverty who struggle to makes ends meat. New boilers can cost upwards of £2,000 to have installed, especially if it is a premium brand of boiler. The ECO Boiler Replacement Scheme enables qualifying private tenants and home owners to access grants which cover the full cost of the boiler replacements.

Can I Get A Free Boiler

If you receive the correct combination of benefits and have a boiler which is over 5 years old, technically, there is a grant available for you which will cover the full cost of the install. Not only can you get a free boiler installed in your home, but it will also come with upgraded heating controls which means that you can zone off certain areas of your home. This will further reduce your bills as you will not be generating heat for rooms which are not even in use. Your new A rated free boiler will also carry a warranty too as part of the Governments Boiler Replacement Scheme.

What Benefits Qualify For A Free Boiler?

To make things a little easier to understand, have a look at the image below for the criteria for the boiler replacement scheme. If for example  you receive Child Tax Credits and your income is below £15,860, you qualify for a free boiler under the governments ECO scheme

The free boiler scheme was introduced by the UK government in 2013 to help those at risk of fuel poverty and in low income households to access 100% funded home improvements for efficient measures including free replacement boilers, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. To have a new boiler installed by the likes of, let’s say, british gas, you’d be looking to spend upwards of £4000.00. So, for a household which has a very low-income, a free boiler replacement is a huge benefit.

The benefits of a new, free boiler

If you have an old, in-efficient boiler, you are literally throwing money out of the window. If your current boiler is over 10 years old, or ‘G’ rated, your boiler is likely to be around 60% efficient. This means that for every £1 you spend on heating up your boiler, you are wasting around 40p. That is a

huge wastage. A new ‘A’ rated boiler is around 90%+ efficient meaning that for every £1 spent on heating an A rated boiler, you are only wasting somewhere in the region of 10p. Which is a huge saving! Under the governments ECO Scheme, if you qualify, you can have a free boiler installed in your home, which is 100% covered, you do not have to re-pay the money back at any time. So, to re-cap, you could save up to £250 per year by replacing your old gas boiler, under the ECO scheme, you could have an A Rated boiler installed free of charge in 2014. See if you qualify for a free boiler.

Can I Get A Free Boiler?

The boiler replacement scheme started in 2013, since it started, thousands of households have had boilers installed in their homes completely free of charge. If you receive income-related benefits, there is a very high chance that you could qualify for a free replacement boiler. If you are the home owner, private tenant of even the landlord of tenants in your property, you could qualify for a 100% funded free gas boiler to be installed in your home. New boilers are much more efficient, carry warranties and are much more reliable.

Apply for a free boiler online.