Ecoliving welcomes the announcement by the Scottish Government that in addition to 125,000 householders in England already being eligible for £400 towards the cost of a new boiler, up to 5,000 householders in Scotland can now receive the same. Replacing 5,000 boilers in Scotland will save around 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of heating 1300 Scottish homes for a year.
The UK Government announced at the beginning of 2010 that up to 125,000 householders in England may be eligible for £400 towards upgrading their boiler in addition to Energy Savings Trust and Low Carbon Building Programme grants currently available. This month, the Scottish Government announced that Scotland will not be excluded from this as up to 5,000 householders in Scotland will receive £400 towards the cost of a new boiler, under a new boiler scrappage scheme. Indeed people with boilers that convert less than 70 per cent of fuel into heat will be able to benefit by receiving money for an upgrade and can potentially reduce fuel bills by approximately £190 a year.
The scheme comes into effect from the 24th of May 2010 when householders can claim vouchers and is expected to save around 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year - the equivalent to taking 1,700 cars off Scotland's roads, heating the water for 7 million baths or heating 1,300 Scottish homes for a year.
Vouchers will be issued by the Energy Saving Scotland advice network on a first come first served basis. Individuals can apply by calling the network on 0800 512 012 going to the Energy Saving Trust website.