Affordable Warmth / ECO Grant
The UK Government backed Scheme was launched in January 2013 and is designed to give financial assistance to homeowners struggling with fuel bills and who have a low graded boiler. The Scheme aims to provide homeowners with more environmentally friendly boilers, and in turn-reduce fuel poverty. Eligibility for the scheme is based on a range of means tested government
benefits that the customer is in receipt of; we don't means you test - the fact that you have already qualified for one of the benefits make your acceptance almost automatic. An old, inefficient boiler uses more energy and, by definition, it's the families who earn least who can afford to replace their boiler with a newer, more efficient model. Paradoxically, the more well off people who can afford the fuel generally have the most energy efficient boilers whilst the people who can ill-afford to simply replace their boiler are also those who are spending more on gas to heat their homes. At a time of rising gas prices more and more families are finding it hard to cope with their fuel bills and more families are now in "fuel poverty" than ever before. Fuel Poverty is a term used to describe households spending more than 10% of their income on gas and electricity. This comes at a time when the UK Government is committed to reducing carbon emissions to comply with UK law - it was clear that with a huge number of old boilers in operation that meeting this target would be extremely difficult. Taxing the energy companies would have been politically difficult and the ECO Grant Scheme was a good solution. Households in receipt of some benefits and who have an older, inefficient boiler, can have a new boiler installed absolutely free of charge: everybody wins - the family get a new boiler and save money on their energy bills (helping to keep welfare increases down in line with deficit reduction targets), energy companies afford a huge increase in taxes as the large number of replacements lets them get better rates for boilers and installations, and the government is making it easier for the UK to meet emissions targets. The hardest problem for companies like IWantABoiler.Com is to make that everyone who is eligible for a new boiler applies for one. This is NOT charity and applying for a free boiler carries no shame or embarrassment - the Government has told the energy companies that they MUST replace the old and inefficient boilers so the power companies are paying for your new boiler. For many years the "fat cats" have charged high prices and not been too worried that poorer families are paying more for their energy as it helped them to make bigger profits. This has all changed: the energy companies have been told to spend billions replaceing the boilers. If you have an old boiler and your income is low you SHOULD apply for a new boiler.
