How to Get a Free Boiler in the UK?
Buying a boiler is no easy task. You must consider your main supply line, the type of house you live in, the number of rooms and the type of property the house stands on. Moreover, it is important to consider general weather in your locality to understand your heating requirements better. In addition to this, buying a boiler is not easy on the purse either. Boilers cost up to £4000. The government’s ECO Scheme provides homeowners with free boiler grants that can be availed to replace old inefficient boilers. This Scheme is funded by the major energy companies in the UK and allows homeowners who are financially vulnerable to always keep their homes warm without raking up a debt.
Not everybody qualifies for a free boiler
Under the ECO Scheme of the government, only homeowners who receive certain benefits from the government are eligible for free boilers. These benefits include Child Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Disability Support, Universal Credit, etc. The eligibility criteria earlier required households to have an annual income that was less than £1600 to qualify for a free boiler automatically. This has since been revised after the financial losses brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and households that receive Universal Credits automatically qualify for free boilers, irrespective of their annual income.
Fill out an application for online
The easiest way to seek assistance to buy a boiler with the government boiler grant is to fill out an online application form. The application forms take less than 2 minutes to fill. The application form enquires information like the postal code of your home, the type of property on which your house stands, or the state in which your boiler is currently. All the information collected is scrutinised by experts who determine whether you are eligible for a free boiler under the ECO Scheme.
An expert will survey your property
Once your eligibility is determined on the basis of the information you furnish, an expert is assigned to survey your property. The survey helps better understand your heating needs. The expert records the number of rooms in the house that needs to be heated, provides an accurate description of the condition of your old boiler and checks whether there exist any insulation needs. All this information is used to determine the type of boiler best suited to your place, and ensure if any other heating grants are to be applied along with the new boiler grant.
The grant is obtained and a new boiler installed
The service providers take all of the information collected and approach the major energy companies that operate in your locality so as to procure the grant. Once this is obtained, the service providers contact a certified local expert to install the boiler in your home. The service providers also conduct a scrutiny of the newly installed boiler to ensure that it is working efficiently and keeping your home warm.