The innovative government scheme, which was launched in the pre-budget report in December 2009, offered landlords and home owners in England the chance to trade in old and inefficient boilers and receive a £400 voucher towards the cost of a new boiler.

The scheme offered 125,000 of the £400 vouchers, to people with G-rated boilers or worse, but due to the popularity of the scheme (or the state of the boilers in England), they’ve already all been snapped up. It was hoped that the 2010 budget would extend the popular scheme, but sadly it wasn’t mentioned.

If you have applied for a voucher, but haven’t received it yet, then don’t panic, as it should be on its way. If you’ve received a voucher, but haven’t used it yet, then you have 12 weeks from the day of issue to claim your £400 for a new boiler.

For anyone who missed the opportunity to improve their boilers to a newer and more efficient model, then nPower have announced that they’ll give a  £400 discount to anyone who has a boiler over 10 years old.

Have you taken advantage of the boiler scrappage scheme? Do you think the scheme should be re-introduced?

The Chancellor first put forward the idea of a boiler scrappage scheme in his pre-budget report in December 2009 and the full details have been quickly put together. The idea is that landlords and homeowners in England trade in their old, inefficient boilers and receive a discount of £400 towards the cost of a new boiler.

To qualify for the scrappage discount, the boiler must be a G-rated or worse. Also, if you’re under 60, then the boiler you’re scrapping must be in working order and the main boiler used to heat the house.

The scheme currently only applies to properties in England and landlords who rent homes and home owners are eligible; social landlords, housing associations and boiler installers aren’t.

However, British Gas and npower have recently launched their own versions of the boiler scrappage scheme, in competition with the government, and these both cover properties in Scotland and Wales.

If you’re not sure if your boiler is G-rated, then the Energy Saving Trust suggest:

• If it’s a gas boiler and has a permanent pilot light, then it’s likely to be a G-rated boiler.
• If it’s gas fired and over 15 years old, it’s likely to be eligible.
• If it’s oil fired and over 20 years old, it’s likely to be eligible.

You could also check your boiler eligibility on the Government Boiler Efficiency Database or the SEDBUK Boiler Efficiency Database.

The downside of the scheme is that it will only be available to the first 125,000 people to apply – so get your skates on if you think you’re eligible.

You can find more information about applying for the scheme on the Energy Saving Trust website.