THOUSANDS of households eligible for boiler replacement grant - Find out if you're eligible

Thousands of households are eligible for grants replacing their old boiler, which could save you £840 on your energy bills.

A government scheme, the Energy Company Obligation was created to help hard-up households make their home more energy efficient.

As the weather gets colder, households are struggling to afford the soaring costs of energy bills, and this help could prove to be a lifeline.

You may be able to qualify for support under the scheme if you live in private housing and get one of the following benefits:

• - Child Tax Credit
• - Working Tax Credit
• - Universal Credit
• - Pension Guarantee Credit
• - Pension Savings Credit
• - Income Support
• - Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• - Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• - Child Benefit
• - Housing Benefit

If you own your home, an energy efficient rating of D, E, F or G is required.

If you are a renting from a private landlord, however, the house must have an energy efficient rating of E, F or G.

The Government has an energy certificate checker tool available online for those unsure of their home’s energy efficiency rating.

The scheme is sometimes carried through local councils, contacting yourscould help with the process.

British Gas are among the companies signed up to the Government scheme.
Owen Humphreys

There is no cap on funding that households are able to receive for a new boiler.

Therefore, you could get a grant to cover the full cost of a replacement boiler.

The following suppliers are signed up to the ECO scheme:

• - British Gas
• - Bulb
• - E (Gas & Electricity)
• - E.ON
• - Ecotricity
• - EDF
• - ESB Energy
• - Octopus Energy
• - Outfox the Market
• - OVO (including SSE)
• - Scottish Power
• - Shell Energy
• - So Energy
• - Utility Warehouse
• - Utilita