From today homeowners can ask for a free A-G energy rating for their boiler with advice to help cut fuel bills, when the engineer visits.
Heating and hot water bills are the biggest energy costs households face each month, yet many people are unaware the average boiler is ‘E’ rated and could produce over 50 per cent more heat – making the recommended improvements could cut fuel bills by hundreds of pounds and reduce carbon emissions.
The energy assessment includes a checklist of efficiency improvements. For example, a family could save nearly ?100 a year just by taking a few a simple steps like getting a 75mm water cylinder jacket, installing heating controls and insulating the hot water pipes.
Longer-term measures such as changing from a low G rated boiler to an A rated one could save over ?200 a year and cut up to 2.7 tonnes of carbon off a household’s carbon footprint.
The government has introduced free energy ratings for boilers in time for people to carry out their annual maintenance check before winter sets in, as part of its wider drive to help consumers make their homes more environmentally efficient.
Communities Minister, Iain Wright said: “With winter heating bills just around the corner now is the perfect time to get a maintenance check on your boiler. Today the Government has introduced an ‘eco’ friendly winter warmer for consumers – this new energy assessment for boilers will help households cut their fuel bills and carbon footprint too.
“So this autumn when the engineer visits ask him to check your boiler so you can see how efficient it is and what improvements and savings you could make.
According to the Heating and Hot Water Industry Council there are still around 4 million old, very inefficient boilers in use in homes, most of which will still be operating in 2010. Replacing these would save two and half a million tonnes of C02 each year by 2010.
