NPower boiler scrappage scheme could provide £800 rebate
Hot on the heels of the government boiler scrappage scheme is the NPower boiler scrappage scheme which can provide you with a £400 rebate if your boiler is more than 10 years old. This works in conjunction with the government scheme so you could get a total £800 rebate on your purchase of a new boiler (provided the boiler is bought and installed by Npower).
The great news about the Npower boiler scrappage scheme is that the scheme goes into operation next week, whereas the government scheme does not have a fixed launch date other than as early as possible at the start of 2010; you do not have to be an existing Npower customer to take advantage of the rebate (you simply need to buy the boiler through Npower and have it installed by them); and you can use the Npower boiler scrappage scheme on top of the government scheme so you could save £800 in total.
Kevin Miles, the CEO of Npower retail, said: "It's vital we play our part in supporting this Government initiative for two very good reasons. First, the energy savings that a new boiler brings – nearly £235 off your annual gas bill – compared with a G Rated boiler. Secondly, very old boilers, unless properly maintained, could pose a health and safety risk."
If you are thinking about taking up the Npower boiler scrappage scheme you may want to start research on a new central heating boiler now. The consumer reviews company Which? have a boilers buyers guide providing detailed reviews on 53 of the most popular central heating boilers on the market today.
You can get the
boiler buyers guide report for just £1 today.
Boiler Scrappage Scheme
This week saw the announcement from the UK government that starting from early next year they would be introducing a boiler scrappage scheme. This effectively means if you have an energy inefficient boiler you could receive a £400 rebate if you replaced the boiler with an energy efficient model.
The government has pledged £50 million towards the boiler scrappage scheme and forecast that 100,000 ageing boilers will be scrapped under the scheme and replaced with more efficient boiler models.
Current estimates show that there are 4.5 million households that currently have boilers which would qualify under the government boiler scrappage scheme and by replacing an old inefficient boiler in a typically family home, the householder will save an average of £235 on their yearly fuel bills as well as producing a significantly smaller carbon footprint (approximately 1.26 tonnes of carbon dioxide saved per home).
Will I qualify for the £400 boiler scrappage scheme rebate?Full details have yet to emerge about exactly how the scheme will operate, but what it known is that boilers which are energy rated at G or lower will qualify for the boiler scrappage programme. Boilers are energy rated by the SEDBUK (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK) rating. This dictates the energy efficiency of a boiler and the scale runs from A rated (being the most energy efficient) down to G rated (which is the least energy efficient and has a 70% or less efficiency rating). There are around 4.5 million boilers which are G rated in the UK so there will be a high scope for qualification.
Utility companies will also likely offer similar scrappage schemes for old boilers in due course.
If you are thinking about taking up the boiler scrappage scheme you may want to start research on a new boiler. The consumer reviews company Which? have a
boilers buyers guide providing detailed reviews on 53 of the most popular central heating boilers on the market today.
You can get the
boiler buyers guide report for just £1 today.
Boiler Maintenance
As we've now hit October and the weather has started to well and truly take a turn for the worse, we're all going to start turning up the dial on the central heating controls and as I have credit crunchitis I'm predicting an impending sky high fuel bill and quite possibly a broken boiler.
It seems that whenever Christmas draws near I can expect a visit not only from Santa, but also from a boiler repairman - at least for the previous two winters anyway. Last winter our household had finally had enough so we took out a boiler maintenance plan. You can read my
British Gas HomeCare review in our brand new "
boilers" section of the site.
If you've got a temperamental boiler the HomeCare plans are pretty reasonable value. We chose the
Homecare 100 plan, which happens to be the cheapest of the range, but according to British Gas the most popular boiler cover plan is the
HomeCare 200. We've listed the full range of
British Gas HomeCare plans so take a look and see what you think. You won't appreciate the piece of mind it gives you by having a reputable boiler maintenance plan unless you've had to deal with a (number) of cowboy engineers tutting loudly over a broken appliance while you stand freezing cold in your kitchen...
For the less serious boiler problems we have put together a
boiler troubleshooting page to help diagnose and potentially remedy the more common faults, which may occur with your boiler. However, please note that we cannot more strongly recommend that you seek professional advice if you encounter a problem with your boiler. They are extremely dangerous pieces of equipment that CORGI registered engineers should maintain on your behalf.
Finally, if your boiler is beyond repair we've written guides on what
types of boiler you should consider buying as well as the aspects that should be taken into account when you are seeking to have your
new boiler installed.
HYmini Portable Wind Powered Charger
Forget having a flat battery because the Hymini portable wind powered charger is able to charge a multitude of devices such as iPods, mobile phones, cameras, and most other portable electronic devices on the market today solely by harnessing wind power.
The novel aspect of the HYmini charger is that it is wind powered which is in contrast to the numerous solar powered chargers on the market. Based on the typical weather in the UK, the HYmini device should be a particularly appealing device!
The HYmini portable wind powered charger currently comes in three attractive colours and accessories such as bike straps, or bespoke adaptors can be purchases as necessary.
It is only necessary to have a light breeze to begin charging via the HYmini so if you are out and about during the day you can be charging your electrical gadget simply by walking or riding. Alternatively, leaving the HYmini charger out of an evening should produce a full charge ready for the next day’s activities. As a useful backup, you are also able to plug the HYmini charger directly into the mains electricity if required.
Contained in your HYmini portable wind powered charger pack you will get the following items:
- 1 x HYmini Portable power bank
- USB transfer cable and 6 connectors for Nokia / Motorola / Sony Ericsson / Samsung / LG
- AC/DC power adaptor and wall plug
The HYmini is a perfect choice if you are an outdoors person and is the ideal camping companion.
MORE INFO
Christmas Eco Gifts For All The Family
As you are no doubt aware Christmas is looming large, which usually means the buying of a large selection of consumer goods for members of family that will never use them.
Well fear no more because you could actually buy a gift that would be used regularly and what's more it would be eco-friendly. There are a number of retailers that are going green, but two that I could recommend as having a wide range of eco-friendly items available are
Ethical Homeware and
Nigel's Eco Store.
I'm usually a sucker for gadgets myself so I'd be delighted with most of the gadgets on offer at these two shops. In particular, a
Sun Jar or
Moon Jar and/or
Glow Brick would be a very popular addition to my household. Take a look and buy yourself or your loved one an eco gift for Christmas.
The Wattson
I would definitely say that the Wattson is one of my top energy conservation products of the year so far and it is a device that any eco-conscious householder should consider buying. Simplistically, the Wattson is a device that will tell you how much energy your domestic appliances are using, both in Watts and £'s spent.
The Wattson consists of two parts. The first is a very stylish white arch display unit, which has dimensions of 17 x 10.4 x 5.6cm, and secondly an electricity monitor that will act as a sensor and broadcaster of energy usage data. To install the Wattson you would need to clip the sensor to the two wires that run between your electricity meter and the fuse box. This will then send the information back to the main unit, which will display not only the energy currently being used in watts or pounds, but also the energy being used by individual electrical appliances. The reading can be displayed on the unit numerically or you can choose to have an ambient light read out. In other words, the more electricity being used, the brighter the ambient light will shine.
Connectivity is also a strong point of the Wattson. In order to use the device you will not need to worry about trailing wires around the house because it functions wirelessly. Also the Wattson stores energy consumption data, which can be downloaded onto your computer via the USB port whereupon historical data usage patterns can be generated. A fun element is that you can compare your home electricity usage patterns with other Wattson users and share tips on energy efficiency.
I can find literally no negative points that can be discussed in relation to the Wattson. It is stylishly designed, it will help to reduce energy consumption, it can act as an educational device for children, it is wireless and you can generate electricity usage reports. The designers at Diy Kyoto have really produced a peerless product that deserves to have pride of place in everyone’s home. The standard priced Wattson is £125 or you can choose to opt for a more eco-friendly bamboo clad Wattson for £350. Go order yourself one at
www.nigelsecostore.comDisclaimer - No references to Sherlock Holmes (such as "elementary my dear wattson") were made during the course of this post.
