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Recent figures suggest that house prices in the UK have started to slowly rise again and with them, the mortgages granted to first-time buyers have followed the trend and shown a gradual increase over the past few months. Sadly though, the increase in house value has still left a great many families struggling with the burden of negative equity. Facing the threat of repossession, it can feel that you have nowhere left to turn. Severe debt problems can lead to the loss your home but there are steps that you can take to safeguard the roof over your family’s head.

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Recent research has brought to light that over the past year alone, a potential one million UK households have gone into further debt on a credit card in order to service their mortgage payments or their rent. That’s about 6% of Britain’s homes and in addition to the proportion of households, the findings also suggested that it is those people who are considered to be in lower social groups that are most likely to rely on their credit cards to keep a roof over their head. [Read more…] about Settling debts with your Credit Card is a bad idea

After the boiler scrappage scheme was initially outlined in the pre-budget report, there has been a swell of support from consumers and industry leaders. Essentially, it follows the same formula as the car scrappage scheme that has proved to be so popular in revitalising the market. The government will be issuing vouchers worth £400 to households with a boiler rated as category G or lower. These vouchers go towards the cost of a new, energy-efficient boiler, as detailed under the scrappage scheme. As of today, the scheme goes live and the hope is that the encouraging response from consumers translates into a positive uptake and inefficient boilers all over the country will be replaced with the latest, most energy efficient models.

The main drive of the boiler scrappage scheme is to cut CO2 emissions at a localised, domestic level and as a result, help the UK to meet the our Carbon emission targets. This is an excellent starting point as figures suggest that domestic central heating boilers account for 14% of the UK’s overall CO2 emissions. A new, energy saving boiler has a rated efficiency in excess of 90%. That means that they consume less fuel and the result is a reduction in carbon emissions. The other key benefit for the consumer is financial. The reduced fuel consumption of efficient boilers saves households money in terms of running costs and as such, can be seen as an investment.

In taking advantage of the scrappage scheme and upgrading your G-rated boiler to one which has been awarded an A-rating for efficiency, you can expect to make a saving of around a quarter on your yearly household heating bill. Roughly speaking, the average household that opts to take advantage of the boiler scrappage scheme will save somewhere in the region of £250 a year. Applications have been coming in thick and fast as a result of these savings, both ecological and economic. Applicants will be starting to receive their £400 vouchers as of today.

Unsure if your boiler will qualify? The Energy Saving Trust recommends that homeowners with a gas boiler check to see whether or not it has a permanent pilot light. If you do find that your boiler has a permanent pilot light, it is most likely G-rated. Also, if it’s fifteen years old or older, it’s likely to be eligible for the scrappage scheme and if it’s oil fired and over twenty five years old, you will most likely qualify for a grant too. Financially speaking, the scheme makes perfect sense and no further incentive should be required to encourage you to make the switch. Whereas previously, the expense involved in buying and installing a new, energy efficient boiler proved to be prohibitive; in spite of the doubtless environmental benefits.

Sadly though, the boiler scrappage scheme, which is set to cost the British taxpayer an estimated £50m, will only be of benefit to people living in England. For more information on any aspect of the scheme or advice on the potential implications that it could have on your monthly central heating fuel bill, talk to a specialist at Baxi, trusted industry leaders since 1866.

Author Bio:

This article is written by Baxi highlighting the implementation of the boiler scrappage scheme in England.