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 Campaigners have urged the Scottish Government not to let Scots miss out on fuel bill savings and an economic boost from the boiler scrappage scheme, launched in England today [1]. Reheat Britain [2] and the Association for the Conservation of Energy [3] have called on the SNP to use newly-available funds for a similar scheme in Scotland.
The English scheme will provide £400 to each of 125,000 English households to replace costly old boilers with new, efficient models. It is expected to cut fuel bills and carbon emissions, and to safeguard jobs in plumbing and manufacturing.
Figures obtained by the Association for the Conservation of Energy suggest the Scottish Government will receive around £11.5m in additional funding for 2010-11 due to boiler scrappage and energy efficiency spending in England and Wales, under 'Barnett consequential' rules. The campaigners have urged the Scottish Government to use this to help tackle fuel poverty and climate change emissions in Scotland. Chas Booth from the Association for the Conservation of Energy said: "It's vital that Scots don't miss out on the energy savings which England will enjoy through this very welcome scheme. The Scottish Government must move quickly to invest more in energy saving north of the border - whether that's through a similar cash-back scheme for efficient boilers or some other investment such as free insulation as part of the Home Insulation Scheme. Scotland cannot fall behind when it comes to saving cash and energy." Mick Williams, a plumbers’ merchant from Hampshire, started the Reheat Britain campaign for the boiler scrappage scheme in July with a petition on the Number 10 website. He said: “I hate to think that Scots will be missing out on the lower bills, greener homes and economic help that England is getting. Hopefully the Scottish Government will use the extra money to bring boiler scrappage to Scotland." “This is one of those win-win ideas – it saves money, protects our environment, and supports local business. That’s why it has such wide support from environmentalists, industry and across the political parties. There’s no downside for the Scottish Government so I can’t see why they’d let Scots miss out.” The English scheme, similar to the car scrappage introduced last April, will mean a grant to help householders replace old, inefficient boilers with new A-rated equipment or renewable energy systems. Benefits include: -- Cutting bills – By replacing a Band G rated boiler with a new Band A rated condensing boiler and better controls, household bills can be cut by up to a quarter, according to the Energy Saving Trust (EST). In a family home that could mean a saving of £235 a year. [4] -- Cutting greenhouse gas emissions – The boiler accounts for 60% of carbon emissions from a gas-heated home. The EST estimate replacing a Band G boiler will save 1.26 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year in a family home. [4] -- Protecting jobs and small businesses – Order books are down for the 120,000 Gas Safe plumbers and installers in the UK; this scheme will help them get through the recession. [5] ENDS Notes to editors 1. Full details of boiler scrappage scheme available on Energy Saving Trust website . 2.The Reheat Britain campaign for a boiler scrappage scheme has been supported by leading environmentalists and industry figures, including Former Friends of the Earth head Tony Juniper; Mark Kelly, CEO of boiler manufacturers Baxi; and Blane Judd, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering. A full list of notable supporters can be found at http://reheatbritain.org.uk/who 3. The Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE) is a lobbying, campaigning and policy research organisation, and has worked in the field of energy efficiency since 1981. Our lobbying and campaigning work represents the interests of our membership: major manufacturers and distributors of energy saving equipment in the United Kingdom. Our policy research is funded independently, and is focused on four key themes: policies and programmes to encourage increased energy efficiency; the environmental benefits of increased energy efficiency; the social impacts of energy use and of investment in energy efficiency measures; and organisational roles in the process of implementing energy efficiency policy. ACE is a member of both Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum. 4. Energy Saving Trust: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements/Heating-and-hot-water/What-is-a-high-efficiency-condensing-boiler 5. Williams UK: http://www.williams.uk.com/stateoftradesurvey/2009/tradesurvey09.html |
