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Consumer: Boiler vouchers are a hot ticket
WITH Yorkshire showing a characteristic thirst for money saving, the boiler scrappage scheme has proved to be a regional hit. SOPHIE HAZAN looks at how you can apply before funds run dry
MONEY-off vouchers worth 400 a pop have been snapped up by boiler owners in Yorkshire and the Humber.
The region has been issued with 6,100 vouchers, or 11 per cent of the total already handed out under the Government's boiler scrappage scheme. That leaves 70,000 vouchers worth a total of 28m still up for grabs.
Scheme managers at The Energy Saving Trust (EST) are now urging the rest of us to ditch energy-guzzling and environmentally-damaging boilers, by taking advantage of the cashback scheme before money runs out.
But before you sign up, Consumerwatch spoke with the experts to see if the offer is as good as it sounds.
The scheme was launched on January 5 to upgrade and cut carbon emissions in 125,000 household heating systems in England.
Homeowners and landlords were told a new boiler will save them money on fuel bills, while boiler fitters were assured that the drive would give the industry a boost.
One thing that is certain, is that the strategy has attracted a lot of consumer interest.
Shortly after launch, Energy Saving Trust bosses reported office phones "ringing off the hook". Call centres continue to receive 400,000 phone calls a day – 5,000 a day at the South and West Yorkshire hub.
Steve Hunter, EST head of region, said: "It's clear that the people are very keen to slash their energy bills and do their bit in helping to cut the UK's CO2 emissions – given the right support."
EST had to employ more staff to deal with such demand.
Centre manager Andrew Cooper confirmed that any delays there might have been at the Yorkshire call centre had now been resolved. On average it takes five days to get a voucher sent out to a consumer. To get that voucher, applicants must first establish if they have an eligible boiler – this can be done following a simple home test, or over the phone with help from an EST adviser.
Then they must get a quote for installation work, which has to be provided to EST – retrospective applications cannot be accepted. Only when the cost of installation has been paid in full can a consumer claim back their 400 saving.
It takes EST five weeks to process voucher claims, confirmed Mr Cooper.
Critics have accused the scheme, which relies on people having the funds in the first place, of being a middle class benefit.
"It is far from enough for people on low incomes to consider replacing their boiler," added Dianne Lyons, chief executive of the Citizens Advice Bureau Leeds.
But scheme-backers stress that the drive is about long-term savings and cutting carbon emissions, not helping vulnerable people. Low-income families should try the Government's Warm Front scheme which can offer up to 3,500 for home heating improvements. Note that anyone who has applied for a Warm Front 300 broken boiler grant, can cancel and switch to the 400 boiler scrappage scheme. Another concern is that people have to pay up front to get the grant, before work has even started.
This could leave consumers in a weaker position to negotiate should things go wrong, warned Mrs Lyons.
Roger Webb, director of the trade association Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC), said: "The scheme has injected new life into the domestic heating market."
The major energy companies which sell and install boilers (British Gas, E.On, npower and Scottish & Southern) have pledged to match the money off offer – giving householders a potential 800 off the cost of a new boiler.
But local boiler installers say the bigger firms charge much more in the first place, so the saving could be misleading.
"Independent installers are always going to be cheaper," said local gas engineer Phil Dawson, 39, who is based in Halton, Leeds. "Make sure that you get several quotes from Gas Safe Registered professionals, and get recommendations from friends or family before agreeing to anything."
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