Local installers are encouraging homeowners to upgrade their home heating system this year and check to see if they are eligible for the popular government funded Boiler Replacement Allowance, which has been extended into 2018.
What is the Boiler Replacement Allowance?
The Boiler Replacement Allowance is a government funded scheme to help eligible homeowners to help with the cost of replacing boilers, which are 15 years or older, with new boilers. Under the scheme, home owners may receive a grant of up to £1,000 towards the cost of replacing old and inefficient boilers with an energy efficient condensing boiler.
How many households have availed of the scheme to date?
Since its introduction in 2012, the scheme has assisted around 30,000 homeowners upgrade their central heating boilers. We are delighted to see the government extend this scheme into 2018 so that even more householders can benefit from improved energy efficiency in the home.
Is the Boiler Replacement Allowance available to everyone?
The major benefit of this scheme is that it is very broad in its eligibility criteria, making it available to a large number of householders in Northern Ireland. We would encourage everyone with a boiler more than 15 years old to check their eligibility via the NI Housing Executive website, www.nihe.gov.uk, and avail of the scheme while you can.
Why is it important to replace boilers that are over 15 years old?
If your boiler is 15 years old or more it is very likely to be operating inefficiently - often only working to around 60% efficiency. Not only will it be costing you more money to run, but you run an increased risk of boiler breakdown. This often happens at the most inconvenient of times and between call-out and repair charges can be very expensive. It is at this stage it is recommended that homeowners replace their boiler instead of spending money on their old inefficient system.
Why are customers choosing to take advantage of the scheme to upgrade their heating system to natural gas?
Customers are typically very keen to upgrade to natural gas and the added incentive of a grant towards replacing their old boiler makes it a logical and easy decision. Customers want the benefits that natural gas offers, such as instant heat and hot water and to be able to Pay As You Go instead of larger one-off payments. A lot of customers come from recommendations, where friends or family members have had it in and they have seen the difference it makes.
What work is typically involved in getting natural gas installed?
In a standard conversion to natural gas the existing radiators and pipework remain as they are and so there is very limited disruption to the house. The main area we concentrate on is where the new boiler is being installed, which would be protected with dust sheets. Usually a natural gas conversion will take one to two days to install.
