Is there a Boiler Scrappage Scheme from Southern Electric?

With the government announcing the introduction of the boiler scrappage scheme for up to 125,000 households we wondered if Southern Electric had such a scheme of their own to top up the payment like other energy companies have done so far.

But it would seem that Southern Electric don’t currently have a scrappage scheme for the installation of new boilers like British Gas or Npower.

All the energy companies want to install a new heating system for you because there are reasonable margins and up to the announcement of the scrappage scheme most were offering hundreds of pounds in discounts in any case.

If you go to the main SSE home services website you’ll see that they offer a £200 discount off the cost of gas installation together with a free 2 year boiler and central heating system cover (some companies do offer more – and less). The discount applies to a new A rated gas boiler and / or a new central heating system.

If your boiler is G rated (ie: old and inefficient) you can take advantage of the government scheme and also get the Southern Electric £200 discount. Npower and British Gas are currently matching the government offer and adding in £400 but only if you replace a G rated boiler rather than just a standard discount for any boiler replacement.

As Southern Electric are part of the same group that also has Scottish Hydro Electric and SWALEC the same discounts apply for any of these companies that you use. The highlights of their offer are as follows:

• £200 discount off the price of a new A rated gas boiler and / or new gas central heating system
• Some trade in options for your old boiler – you’ll need to contract them to see what type of discounts are available for this scheme
• 2 years warranty on all parts and labour and boiler
• Additional protection plan for the first 2 years
• A rated boilers can save upwards of £200 per year in energy bills

Our advice

As with all major purchases (and a gas boiler can cost upwards of £2,000) you should get like for like quotes from several companies. If you like Southern Electric then by all means get a quote from them and include British Gas and Npower. Also contact a local supplier who you have been recommended as their prices will be lower.

But also check to see what additional options you are provided with especially when it comes to maintenance and protection. All the big energy companies offer at least a 2 year free servicing plan which means you are covered for all parts and labour if your boiler breaks down for any reason. Some companies extend this to 5 years and your local supplier may not be able to match this (although you can take out servicing contracts separately with servicing companies).

However, the worst thing to happen is a boiler breaking down and you having large expenses to cover or a long wait for an engineer to turn up. And remember if you have a combination boiler then nothing works as you don’t have a back up in terms of electric hot water tank.

So get quotes but unfortunately at this stage Southern Electric don’t operate a boiler scrappage scheme like some others already offer.