The Government's £400 boiler scrappage allowance

Commenting on the launch of the Government's £400 boiler scrappage allowance, Scott Byrom, utilities manager at moneysupermarket.com said: "It is great to see the Government launch the boiler scrappage scheme announced in the Pre-Budget report last month. This means consumers can take advantage of this incentive now when the winter weather is really biting and consumption is at its peak. People will see a significant cut to the price of a new boiler - an attractive saving for those who are quick enough to take advantage of the scheme. While it is fantastic to see such measures put in place to help combat high fuel prices and carbon emissions, I am not sure it is enough to help encourage customers to replace their boilers as the overall costs are still high.

It is encouraging to see suppliers such as British Gas and npower supporting this scheme and offering further incentives to their customers to act now and opt for a more energy efficient boiler. Launching tomorrow, Wednesday 6th January, British Gas will be matching the £400 allowance set by the Government enabling customers to get £800 off the cost of a new boiler. This move follows npower's pledge last year to provide £400 for those with boilers up to a c-rating. As such, customers with a G-rated boiler can get £800 towards a new boiler with British Gas or npower and those with an E to C-rating boiler can receive £400 with npower.

"People wishing to take advantage of the Government offer need to act fast as the scheme only has enough budget to replace 125,000 boilers. Combining a new boiler with a move to the cheapest energy tariff could see customers saving up to £525 a year on their energy bills. There is a desperate need for the UK to become more energy efficient, and cutting household bills is a key part of this.  Households should act immediately to ensure they are on the correct tariff for their usage and region - and moving online to a dual fuel direct debit deal is the easiest way to make savings on their energy bills"