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Home Wind
Turbine or Solar Panels will also benefit from feed-in tariffs starting April 2010, which will guarantee a price for electricity fed into the national grid. The government said it could provide an average of £900 tax free per year for a household generating green power.
The Government said the programme, similar to the trade-in scheme for cars, would enable the installation of more efficient gas boilers for heating and hot water in homes to cut carbon dioxide emissions and also reduce domestic energy bills.
Extra Funding of £200 million would go to helping homeowners make their homes more energy efficient through measures such as cavity wall insulation, loft insulation. Of the total £150 million would be set aside to help 75,000 of the most vulnerable households through the Warm Front scheme and £50 million to fund the greener more efficient boiler incentive.
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The UK Government has stated that old inefficient boilers wasted around £200 on the average household bill and put an extra tonne of carbon in the atmosphere each year.
Under the scrappage scheme £400 would be available for people to help them replace old inefficient boilers with a new condensing gas boiler which would be more efficient. Condensing boilers have an A Rating for efficiency.
Meanwhile, npower has decided to launch its own boiler scrappage scheme from launch its own boiler scrappage scheme from 14th December 2009. |
They will offer £400 off a new boiler when it replaces one that is over 10 years' old.
The Government has yet to announce the conditions surrounding its gas boiler scrappage scheme, which comes into force April 2010.
With npower's offer you do not need to be an existing energy customer to take up their offer, which is being undertaken by the company's "Hometeam", which currently installs and services gas boilers for homes. Oil Boilers are also to be incorporated into the scrappage scheme.
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Typically the total cost of a boiler, including installation can be between £1,500 and £2,000 on
average. It is claimed that some homeowners could save up to £250, or 40%, off their fuel bills a year by trading in their old boiler for a more energy-efficient type replacement.
How Do I find out How Efficient my Boiler Is? The
simplest way of checking the energy efficiency rating of your existing
boiler is to visit the Energy Saving Trust website. Ensure that you
have the manufacturer's details. For your Boiler Energy Efficiency
Rating go to: www.boilers.org.uk |
Some
improvement measures that are recommended are covered in more
detail that help reduce home energy consumption and form part of the
official domestic energy assessor recommendations as part of their
report to the home seller. Find out more about saving costs on your
Gas & Electric Utility Bills -
Switch
Energy Suppliers. Other
measures for saving energy can be found at:
Renewable
Energy Sources:
Energy
Saving Advice
Observing these simple rules will save you money and cost nothing!
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By
lowering your room thermostat by just 2 degrees can provide a
significant saving on your gas bill over a year.
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Switch
off lights when not in use, you will save money on your
electricity bill.
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Do
not leave TV sets, stereo systems, DVD players, VCR's, computer
monitors etc on standby, leaving them on standby will still use
power and adds to your electric bill. Remember to switch them
off at night.
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When
your heating is on keep windows and doors closed, also close
internal doors within the house, you will feel much warmer in
your living room as warm air will not circulate to the top of
the house.
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When
choosing new home appliances (washing machines, freezers etc)
consider buying appliances with a better energy efficiency
rating, for example an appliance with a rating of A or B has a
better efficiency than say a D or E rating. Again, this step
will save you money on your electricity bill.
If
you are a commercial or business energy user find out more about
switching your energy supplier for a cheaper rate at : Switch
Energy Suppliers for Gas
and Electricity.
Also find out ways to reduce your energy costs for commercial
energy users at Business
Energy Saving
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Looking
for Energy Advice for your Home? A
Domestic Energy Assessor can
provide free advice about your home, including energy efficiency
measures to help you to save money for energy costs, information about
grants, as well as providing an energy certificate.
Find an assessor in your local area:
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A
typical Back Boiler installation, the boiler is usually fitted
behind the Gas Fire. These types of boiler are not energy
efficient and generally have a poor rating for efficiency.