Free Boiler Grants: Are You Missing Out on Savings?

In the UK, there are several grants that provide free boilers. They are efficient and eco-friendly as they depend upon renewable energy resources. Even if they consume non-renewable energy resources, they will consume very little fuel. In this way, they will result in low-fuel consumption and low energy bills.

Which Schemes Provide Free Boilers?

If you can’t afford to install a boiler in your home, you should go for the free boiler schemes. The UK government has initiated several schemes which are providing free boilers to low-income households. Some most popular schemes for free boilers are the following:

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

The Energy Company Obligation is a government scheme. The UK government obliges energy companies to provide free energy benefits to low-income households. They started this scheme back in 2013. Now, it is in its fourth phase which will be completed in 2026. The main objectives behind this scheme are the following:

• They want to make the country completely carbon-free by the 2050s.
• The scheme will help low-income people to reduce their energy bills.
• At the same time, they want to promote energy-efficient heating systems.

Services of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) provide several energy improvements to the households, such as the following:

• First Time Central Heating System
• Boiler upgrades
• Insulation benefits
• Heat pumps like Air Source Heat Pump and Ground Source Heat Pump

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero launched this scheme in 2022 and aimed to provide free grants up to 2025. They want to provide free boiler grants of about £150 million per year. In this way, they will provide 90,000 installations this whole time. However, they focus on the boiler upgrades. The main objectives behind their grants are the following:

• They want to replace the high-carbon systems with the low-carbon heating systems.
• Moreover, the boilers of this grant are very energy efficient. They will result in low energy bills.
• They install heat pumps in low-income households. These heat pumps use heat energy from the air and ground. In this way, they will promote renewable energy resources.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme fulfils its objectives with the installation of the following heat sources:

• Air Source Heat Pump
• Ground Source Heat Pump
• Fossil Fuel Boilers
• Hybrid heating systems

Home Upgrade Grant (HUG)

The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy of the UK government initiated this scheme. They started this scheme in 2021 and its first phase will end in 2025. This is an extensive scheme which provides all the necessary energy benefits for low-income households. This scheme was started with the following goals:

• Help low-income households with home improvements.
• Increase the energy efficiency of the homes.
• Decrease the carbon emissions from the country.
• Promote renewable energy resources.

This scheme fulfils these goals in the following ways:

• Install the Efficient First Time Central Heating Systems.
• Reduce heat loss from the home with the insulations.
• Provide renewable energy boilers.
• Make the windows and doors draught-proof.

What are the Eligibility Criteria for the Free Boiler Grants?

The Free Boiler Grants provide their benefits only to those who fulfil the factors given below:

First of all, they consider the annual income. It must be lower than £31,000. However, it depends on the number of family members. If there are more family members, their annual income can exceed this threshold amount.

The next most important criterion for this grant is the government benefits. The applicant must be the receiver of the government benefits. Moreover, if any of the family members are receiving any government benefits, they can still get free boiler grants. The eligible government grants for the free boiler grants are the following:

1. Universal Credit
2. Child tax credit
3. Income benefit
4. Jobseeker allowance
5. Disability benefit
6. Pension credit

The heating systems of the households should be at least 8 years old. At the same time, the grants prefer fossil fuel and electric boilers to replace them.

The EPC rating of the homes must be below D. It can be D, E, F, or G.

How to Get the Free Boilers from the Boiler Grants?

You can get the Free Boilers from the government grants by following the steps given below:

Check the grants which provide the free boilers. You can apply for several grants but get financial assistance only from the single boiler grant. That’s why you need to select the one which fulfils the heating requirements of your home.

Then, check the eligibility criteria of that specific grant. You can use the online eligibility checker or ask the customer service team of that respective scheme.

You need to get help from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) installers to assess the home and existing heating systems. Moreover, they will suggest the appropriate boiler for your home.

At the same time, the installers will apply for the scheme on your behalf. They will send details of the home survey and necessary documents for the scheme. Some compulsory documents for the free boiler schemes are the following:

1. Proof of ownership
2. Proof of income
3. Proof of government benefits
4. Details about the home heating systems

Now, you need to wait for the approval from the team of your respective scheme. They will send an approval letter and contact the household to discuss the installation process.

The installer will start the installation process and complete it according to the decided timeline. They will test it several times and clean it properly.

After the installation process, they will hand over the details about the heating system to the homeowner. Moreover, they will guide them regarding maintenance and repair.

Conclusion

The free boiler grants are a great chance to get efficient heating systems in their homes. These grants offer boilers which consume less fuel and result in low energy bills. That’s why they should not miss these grants. However, you should not select a random boiler for your home. You need to consider several factors to select the right boilers for your heating system.