Boiler Scrappage Schemes in Northern Ireland and Scotland are 'leading the way' to energy efficiency, and the UK government should follow suit, claims Mike Foster of the EUA.

Chief executive of Energy & Utilities Alliance, Foster's comments came after the announcement last week by the Northern Ireland Assembly to offer a boiler scrappage scheme from September this year, along with the continuing success of the boiler scrappage scheme in Scotland.

The UK government's recent annual report on fuel poverty highlighted the role played by replacing old, inefficient boilers with new, yet it is only the devolved governments that are currently incentivising this replacement policy.

Backing up his claim, the former UK Government Minister said:"Northern Ireland and Scotland, through different schemes, are showing the rest of the UK what can be done. Since June last year, 12,000 inefficient boilers have been replaced under the Scottish scrappage scheme.

"On average, each household will save around £300 on their annual energy bill. Given the age of austerity families face, that is very good news. But each replacement boiler will also help reduce greenhouse gases, with carbon dioxide savings of around 18,000 tonnes in total. 

"When the Northern Ireland Executive announced their scheme last week, they also stressed how work on the replacement programme is undertaken by local companies, helping the local economy in these tricky times. But with families saving £300 on their energy bills, they are more than likely to spend this saving on other goods and services, helping the wider economy too."

"There are still some 4 million inefficient boilers fitted in UK homes according to the Heating & Hotwater Industry Council. Just imagine the how families in England and Wales would benefit from similar boiler replacement schemes - in total that is £1.2 billion saved on energy bills each year.

"A long-term plan to incentivise boiler replacement should be a priority of the UK government, so that families living in England and Wales can also benefit from the help their counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland get."

In February the Scottish government added a further £500,000 of funding to its existing boiler scrappage scheme, which has been running since June last year. Households can receive £400 towards the cost of their new boiler.