Is your boiler old, expensive to run and/or completely broken down? Are you struggling to find the money you need to get your heating and hot water working? A free boiler grant could be the answer.
If you qualify for a boiler grant under the ECO scheme, you’ll receive a grant towards a brand new boiler which will be more energy efficient. This should result in cheaper bills for you – by up to £315 a year if you’re replacing a G-rated boiler – and reduced carbon emissions which is good for the planet.
Since the ECO scheme launched in 2013 people up and down the country have been visiting Boiler Grants to see if they qualify for a free boiler grant. In a nutshell, if you’re on specific benefits and meet set criteria, there’s a free boiler grant out there with your name on it. Well, not literally, but you know what we mean.
What is a boiler grant?
In 2013 the government launched the Energy Company Obligation (often shortened to just ECO) scheme to help the growing number of families on low incomes who can’t afford to adequately heat their homes with old, inefficient and faulty central heating boilers and/or by improving insulation.
The scheme gives out grants – not loans – which means that you don’t need to pay the money back. Around 2.5 million households could potentially benefit from a boiler grant. Your household could be one of them.
Is there such a thing as a free boiler grant?
It’s important to note that the ECO scheme does not necessarily offer grants to cover the entire cost of a new boiler. In most cases, the boiler grant will meet some of the cost and you will need to make up any shortfall.
However, this should not discourage you from applying for a boiler grant as it could still save you a significant amount of money and, by improving the efficiency of your home heating system, could cut your annual heating costs considerably.
- Only homeowners and private tenants who receive certain benefits can apply for a boiler grant. If you are renting and need to replace your boiler but cannot afford to, you should head over to boilerguide.co.uk to find and compare competitive quotes from local heating engineers. You can find the best possible price and might even be able to pay for your new boiler on a monthly basis via a finance deal.
- Boiler grants are only available to homeowners and private tenants (who have their landlord’s permission) who receive specific benefits and meet the eligibility criteria which is very strict. For example, pensioners need to be in receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit; a state pension alone will not be enough. If you receive Child Benefit, you will be asked more questions about your living situation and income to check if you qualify or not. For more information on the eligibility criteria, click here.
- The ECO scheme is funded by the Big Six energy providers. These companies risk massive fines if they don’t meet carbon emissions targets set by the government as they have a legal obligation to provide support and take part in ECO.
- A boiler grant can be used towards the cost of replacing a non-condensing boiler or a condensing boiler. The boiler needs to be is less than 86% efficient (with a rating band between C and G) and usually over 8 years old.
- The ECO scheme also offers insulation grants to help low income households reduce heat loss, improve energy efficiency and reduce their heating bills even further.
- From initial contact to the day of installation the whole process could take 2-3 months, depending on the company carrying out the boiler grant installation.
- As we’ve already said, the grant itself is free. Provided you qualify for a boiler grant, you will only have to pay part of the cost towards your new boiler, the majority will be made up of a grant that you don’t have to pay back.
- The ECO scheme has limited funding available for certain types of boilers, but at the moment it is possible to apply for a new gas boiler.
- ECO is only available in England, Scotland and Wales. If you live in Northern Ireland there is an alternative scheme called Warm Homes Grants.
- Getting your hands on a free boiler grant is a pretty simple and straightforward process which you can start right here. Enter your postcode at the top of the page to find out if you could be eligible for a free grant towards a replacement boiler.
After you’ve completed our online form we will need to give you a quick call to confirm that you meet all the necessary criteria. It will only take a few moments to assess your eligibility, the make and model of your current boiler, the condition it is in and where in the home it’s located.
If you can have all of this information to hand when we ring, we’ll be able to get your application processed a lot quicker where we can find installers with funding in your area.
