Rarely do Central Heating Boilers make the front pages but the governments recent Boiler Scrappage Scheme initiative changed all that, certainly for a day or two.

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme has been mooted for some time and is inspired by the successful Car Scrappage Scheme. The campaign for the Boiler Scrappage scheme was started by Mick Williams and I have followed and supported the scheme for some time now.  Chancellor Alistair Darling announced the Boiler Scrappage Scheme in his pre-Budget report in December.

The new Boiler Scrappage Scheme enables homeowners to get £400 off the installation costs when you scrap an old and inefficient G-rated boiler replacing it with a new, high efficient A-rated condensing boiler (and even renewable heating technologies) – Not sure if your boiler applies? Well if it has a pilot light it probably does. Need further clarification? Click here

There are currently 3.5m homes in England with the most inefficient type of boiler. The government is offering households (albeit only 125,000) £400 towards the cost of upgrading their old boiler.

It would be pretty obvious to most that an old boiler is not going to be that efficient, certainly not the 90% or better that a new A-rated boiler can boast. A new condensing boiler will use less fuel resulting in lower CO₂ emissions and running costs. Renewable options, including heat pumps do not burn fossil fuels, thus ticking all the green boxes.

To apply for the scheme the boiler you are replacing must be in full working order. You yourself must be under 60 and living in England. If you are over 60 you can still apply even if the boiler does not work. The scheme is not currently available in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

If you want to apply for the Boiler Scrappage Scheme you must first get quotes from different installers. Once you have chosen an installer you will need to get a quote in order to register for a voucher. Remember, installations must be carried out by Gas Safe, Oftec or Microgeneration Certification scheme registered installers.

Once you have received your voucher, you can then proceed with the installation. You will need to pay upfront for the new boiler and installation before you can then claim back the £400 by sending the voucher and invoice to the Energy Saving Trust. Payment will be issued within 25 working days of receipt of the voucher and invoice.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the scheme you’d better act fast. With 3.5m G-rated boilers but only funding for 125,000, some will be disappointed. But before you consider signing up, consider this. If your boiler is trouble free and operating effectively, is it worth replacing it? Sure, a new boiler will be more efficient but it probably wont last as long as your existing, cast iron appliance. However, should you decide to apply it is worth buying your boiler boiler directly, from a supplier like BHL rather than through your installer. BHL have a wide range of A-Rated Boilers at low online trade prices from leading manufacturers including Baxi, Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Glow-Worm.

Central Heating is not the recent invention that most of us think, the heating of a home from one central point dates back to ancient times when first the Greeks and then the Romans devised early central heating systems to heat public baths and their private villas. The hypocaust system was an early underfloor heating system and the forerunner to modern central heating systems.

It was a further 2000 years later before the central heating system became widespread throughout the UK. Other than the occasional Victorian entrepreneur who filled his home with the latest gadgets such as a warm air heating system, it wasn’t until the late sixties that central heating became affordable and so began to revolutionise the British home.

Up until that point homes were heated mainly by solid fuel – an open fire in the fireplace with a back boiler to heat the water - the traditional scene of the family huddling around the fire. Solid fuel appliances are making a comeback and are enjoying a renaissance but the wall mounted gas boiler, usually in the kitchen is certainly king.

Back in 1966, boiler manufacturer Baxi saw the potential of offering a product designed to offer the homeowner all the conveniences of a modern gas boiler but with hints of the charm of an open fire. The Baxi Bermuda back boiler unit (bbu) had a gas boiler located within the chimney breast and a modern fire bolted to the front .

Due to changes in legislation and the fact that the Baxi Bermuda was not a high efficiency condensing boiler, the Bermuda was phased out, much to the disappointment of the Bermuda’s loyal customers. Speaking from experience, the absence of a condensing back boiler left a huge gap in the heating boiler market. There are thousands of homeowners looking to replace their old Baxi Bermuda - the only option open to them was to replace their BBU with a wall-mounted boiler, until now.. 

The recently launched Baxi Bermuda BBU HE is a modern day direct replacement for the old Bermuda models. Working in conjunction with the Valor Dimension electric fire the new Baxi Bermuda BBU HE is not a revolutionary product, rather the re-engineering of an old appliance. However, an old favourite has returned and this certainly offers a solution to thousands of homeowners requiring a replacement boiler. It would seem that established ideas are often the best.

The new Baxi Bermuda BBU HE back boiler and Valor Dimension electric fire is available to buy from BHL