What is the Process to Get Boiler Grants for Single Parents in the UK?

What is the Process to Get Boiler Grants for Single Parents in the UK?

The UK government is offering free boiler grants for single parents and other UK residents who are in receipt of income-related benefits. Heating your home can be expensive, especially when you have a young family to care for without the help of a spouse or partner. The free boiler scheme is the next stage of the government’s steps to combat global climate change and reduce the UK’s carbon footprint. The government has also set targets to help low-income households to reduce their fuel consumption and heating bills by installing energy-efficient central heating boilers and electric storage heaters. 

How Does a Single Parent Qualify?

 As a single parent, there are two other criteria to be met before qualifying for government boiler grants. You must either be a current homeowner in the UK or your boiler system must have been in use for at least seven years. This is done with the assumption that it will be easier and more cost-effective to repair newer models of boilers than to replace them. As long as you meet the two conditions and you are a single parent of a child under the age of 16, your chances of qualifying for a government boiler grant are high. 

 

Other Qualifying Criteria

 Apart from child tax credits, there are several other ways to qualify for a new boiler grant which include Income Related Employment Support Allowance, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, Pension Guaranteed Credit, Working Tax Credit, Universal Credit, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits, Ministry of Justice Benefits (administered by Veterans UK), War Pensions Mobility Supplement, Constant Attendance Allowance, Armed Forces Independence Payment and Child Benefit. If there is no one within your household who is in receipt of child tax credits or any listed benefits, you may be eligible for a subsidised boiler replacement. You could also qualify for help under the ECO flex rules governed by the local authorities who can provide boilers to low-income households who are considered vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home. 

 

How to Get a Free Boiler Installed in Your Home?

The free boiler grant scheme is funded by the UK’s leading energy companies. To qualify, you must be registered with one of the six participating energy suppliers – British Gas, on, Npower, SSE, EDF or Scottish Power. You will need to fill up a free online survey. After that, an accredited installer will advise you on the amount of your grant, which will tell you whether you have to contribute to the installation cost or not. The amount of funding you are entitled to will depend on your income, the energy efficiency of your home and the age of your existing boiler. Households that qualify for a free boiler grant will be entitled to install a new gas boiler along with heating controls where necessary.