WORCESTER Bosch has lent its support to calls to re-introduce the Boiler Scrappage Scheme.

This comes after former city MP Mike Foster called on the chancellor Rishi Sunak to re-introduce the scheme to trade in boilers.

Martyn Bridges, director of technical communications and project management at Worcester Bosch, said re-introducing the scheme would be “exactly what we need” in fighting the financial impacts of coronavirus.

He said: “The European Heating Industry has recently submitted a proposal for a scrappage scheme of old and inefficient non-condensing boilers.

“The heating industry trade association, The Heating and Hot Water Industry Council, has also put out a statement requesting that the UK introduce such a scheme. I believe this could be exactly what we need in the UK.

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“This would be a repeat of what was run back in 2010 when we were in a recession because of the financial collapse. It was an immensely successful thing to do, with 125,000 new high efficiency boiler installations being part funded.

“The scheme paid a £400 contribution to the householder towards the cost of their new boiler installation, with each install made by a bona fide registered installer.

“Not only would this have a great impact on getting the heating industry running again – an industry operating at around 30 per cent of its usual capacity – it would have the added benefit of reducing the country’s CO2 emissions. It is simply a no-brainer.”

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme, introduced introduced by then-chancellor Alastair Darling in 2009 and saw more than 125,000 boiler scrappage scheme vouchers claimed in the first few months before applications closed in March 2010.

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Last week, former Worcester MP Mike Foster called for the government to reintroduce the scheme through his role as CEO of trade body The Energy and Utilities Alliance.

He said the scheme would save households around £200 a year, adding: "The Chancellor will be looking for ways to help the economy recover from the Covid-induced collapse.

"We are reminding him of a tried and tested scheme, offering great value for money – bringing in more than it costs, that could be up and running in a few months."

Mr Foster's Boiler Scrappage Scheme proposal seeks to remove 200,000 G-rated boilers by offering a £400 government funded voucher to incentivise the homeowner to swap to an A-rated boiler.