Government boiler scrappage scheme

[mkb]

Hi all,
I rent out a house and am going to have the boiler replaced. At the moment it's a tank system and were going for a combi. Because were upgrading from an old system to a combi will we still be entitled to the £400 does anyone know.
Also the boiler were going for is a Main 30 HE at £620. However after googling this boiler all I can find are B rated ones which wont get us the £400. I spoke to the supplier and he says there are 2 types....both the same models but one is B rated and one A rated.
Does that make sense to anyone ?
Baxi Potterton Main 30 HE on some websites. They all joined together now ?

 

[Mark Br]

The Eco version is A rated

 

[muggles]

Oh the boiler scrappage scheme...don't get me started

Whether you qualify for the con...sorry, grant...will depend partly on what boiler you have installed now. Have you checked the listings to ensure your make/model qualifies?

You may change any boiler type for any other boiler type, EG System to Combi, Combi to Combi, Combi to System, Heat Only to Combi, Heat Only to System etc etc etc

As Mark has said, you need to Main 30HE Eco if you want the A-rated version of this boiler. Expect to pay a little more for this than the B-rated version.

 

[mickyg]

Whether you qualify for the con.

What makes you say that? I've already carried out 2 scrappage jobs and I've got 3 planned in. Thats a £2000 saving for my customers, I don't see it as a con...

 

[muggles]

It's OK for those that can get it but IMHO it's being used to gain government brownie points in the run-up to the election rather than for it's proper purpose of boosting the industry and reducing carbon emissions, should have been open to everyone, it's not exactly costing the government a lot of money (arguably it's earning them money) so there's no reason not to open it up. Maybe I'm just bitter because I've not seen much benefit from it yet...

 

[hammerswinger]

....the boiler were going for is a Main 30 HE at £620. However after googling this boiler all I can find are B rated ones which wont get us the £400. I spoke to the supplier and he says there are 2 types....both the same models but one is B rated and one A rated.
Does that make sense to anyone ?

I appreciate your confusion.
The A rated boiler is called the Main Combi Eco , the B rated version is called the Main combi HE
As you say you will have to fit the A rated one to qualify for the scrappage scheme.

You can get a Main 30 Eco for £675 from companies selling on ebay...I don't think you will find this boiler cheaper anywhere else.

You may also want to consider the Potterton Gold 28 HE combi...this is selling for £699 on ebay...this boiler comes with a 3 year parts & labour warranty where as the main only has 15 months! (both of these warranties are dependent on the boiler being serviced every 12 months by a gas safe engineer of your choice)

Both Main & Potterton are part of the Baxi group so most of the parts used on them are the same....the Gold has the advantage of a stainless steel heat exchanger.

The Main 30 Eco
http://www.mainheating.co.uk/combieco.htm


Potterton Gold 28 HE
http://www.potterton.co.uk/58.htm
Some pages on the Potterton site state a 2 year & others state a 3 year warranty...I believe it to be 3 years, but I would advise you to confirm this for yourself from Potterton.

 

[mickyg]

It's OK for those that can get it but IMHO it's being used to gain government brownie points in the run-up to the election rather than for it's proper purpose of boosting the industry and reducing carbon emissions, should have been open to everyone, it's not exactly costing the government a lot of money (arguably it's earning them money) so there's no reason not to open it up. Maybe I'm just bitter because I've not seen much benefit from it yet...

I don't quite get what you mean. It is open to everyone with a severely inefficient boiler...Do you mean people with other boilers in the lower bands? In which case I can see your point but surely you have to target the worst offending boilers first. I really like the scheme, its very simple for the customer to apply and obtain the voucher and it doesn't require any significant input from the installer other than providing a written quotation and completing the work within 12weeks. Certainly an improvement on the warmfront farce!

 

[hutchys]

Whether you qualify for the con.

What makes you say that? I've already carried out 2 scrappage jobs and I've got 3 planned in. Thats a £2000 saving for my customers, I don't see it as a con...

I agree that's £400 each off if the boiler for each customer they are saving off a boiler,but that boiler must be working, unless they are over 60 years old.
So swopping a working boiler for a new A rated boiler, for my quotes anyway, means I have to spend over £1000 even after the rebate, all this for a new boiler that according to all the quotes (4) is a straight swop with not a lot of problems seen, so this is starting not to look like a good saving.
Even taking the estimated savings to be gained into account it will take me 5 years to start gaining, even if the new boiler runs without problems over the next 5 years. I have my voucher already but it looks like it will not be used, at least by me anyway. The only way I can see this as being a genuine saving is if your over 60 and your boiler has packed up.

 

[hammerswinger]

I agree that's £400 each off if the boiler for each customer they are saving off a boiler,but that boiler must be working, unless they are over 60 years old.
So swopping a working boiler for a new A rated boiler, for my quotes anyway, means I have to spend over £1000 even after the rebate, all this for a new boiler that according to all the quotes (4) is a straight swop with not a lot of problems seen, so this is starting not to look like a good saving.
Even taking the estimated savings to be gained into account it will take me 5 years to start gaining, even if the new boiler runs without problems over the next 5 years. I have my voucher already but it looks like it will not be used, at least by me anyway. The only way I can see this as being a genuine saving is if your over 60 and your boiler has packed up.

I doubt you will start saving after 5 years.
The manufactures figures claim that the A rated boilers are approx 90% efficient compared to a G rated one being 70%, I very much doubt that in the real World an A rated boiler will be 90% efficient.
Maybe the manufactures did achieve this efficiency but that will be under test conditions....a bit like how a car manufacture says their car will do 50 mpg, you or I will never manage to achieve that figure no matter how carefully we drive.

 

[mickyg]

I very much doubt that in the real World an A rated boiler will be 90% efficient.

Using the right boiler, controls and system you can achieve excellent savings. I recently replaced a Range Powermax with an ATAG eco combi and the customer has saved around a 1/3 even with the harsh cold winter we have had. Its fitted with weather compensation and modulating controls. The poster above is right, however, having a £400 voucher is not a reason to have a new boiler, just an incentive to do something which is already in mind. Its rare to recover the costs inside 7 years.

 

[heatingeng]

tried to claim this for my mum and its been a nightmare.
they still havnt paid her
http://www.plumbersforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?5-Boiler-Scrappage-Scheme

 

[Biguns]

On the other hand:-


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property...ff-Howells-DIY-advice-condensing-boilers.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property...uld-I-replace-my-ageing-Potterton-boiler.html

 

[mickyg]

Your not seriously suggesting Jeff Howell knows what he's talking about?

That guy is a massive idiot. Just read through his answers and pick out all the errors in his "knowledge". There's a virtual pint for the first to 10.
This is the same Jeff Howell incidentally who also encourages DIY boiler installations.

 

[Biguns]

No, not trying to suggest anything, Im convinced there is no bigger cynic than myself. However this cynisism does extend to provoking thought and putting an alternative view to the widely held belief that the panacea to all aged boiler woes, is to renew with one of these fiendishly sophisticated modern units. Which if truth be known,on the savings you are likely to make on gas, you are very unlikely to recover your initial investment, before you have to renew again. And that only after spending £lots on repairing these complicated electronically controlled boilers.

 

[workerant]

On the other hand:-


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property...ff-Howells-DIY-advice-condensing-boilers.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property...place-my-ageing-Potterton-boiler.html[/QUOTE]

the second link sound just like the posh old women form it.
'not much change from a thousand pounds, a thousand pounds'
Ha ha ha