Warm Front £300 Heating Rebate Scheme

On Monday 5 December 2005, the Chancellor made a pre-budget announcement regarding the Government’s intention to offer a £300 rebate off the cost of installing a new central heating system for people aged 60 or over who own or privately rent their home.

The £300 rebate, which forms part of the Warm Front Scheme, can only be used by householders who either have no heating system or one which is inoperable.

The £300 rebate was made available from 11 August 2006 to all householders aged 60 or over who are not in receipt of a qualifying Warm Front benefit.

What is a Condensing Boiler?

A condensing boiler is a high efficiency modern boiler that incorporates an extra heat exchanger so that the hot exhaust gases lose much of their energy to pre-heat the water in the boiler system. When working at peak efficiency, the water vapour produced in the combustion process condenses back into liquid form releasing the latent heat of vaporisation. A side effect is that this water, known as condensate, which is usually acidic, has to be piped away to a drain or soakaway.

The photo below shows a combination condensing boiler. It is mounted on a wall and the exhaust gases will rise through a plastic flue in the top left corner. Hot water is provided by a small storage tank: the tank (which is covered by insulating foam) has a tightly wound quick refresh coil inside it. At the bottom are a number of pipes going into the boiler. One carries the gas for the burner and there are two (in and out) for the central heating system. The plastic pipe on the right carries the condensed water vapour produced by burning the gas. This water contains dissolved oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, making it slightly acidic.

The National Energy Foundation carried out extensive monitoring work on new homes built in Milton Keynes in the late 1980s, and is was found that operating efficiencies of 95% or better could be obtained in normal use.

  Good central heating controls require a minimum of four things:

• an electronic timer or programmer that allows separate switching of heating and hot water
• a room thermostat
• thermostatic radiator control valves (TRVs), and
• separate thermostatic control on the hot water system        

Heating systems

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