Also known as the Home Heat Cost Reduction Obligation, this obligation provides free boiler and insulation grants to private homeowners and tenants who receive certain means-tested benefits. It aims to reduce fuel poverty amongst low-income households by ensuring that heat is generated as efficiently as possible and is prevented from escaping from the home.
Lastly, there must be an existing low-efficiency boiler within the property. All boilers are rated by their energy efficiency. Most modern units will work at around 90% efficiency (only losing 10% output when converting fuel to heat). A boiler installed around 10 years ago will most likely be around 65-80% efficient. So, by upgrading this old boiler to a new one, the carbon savings will be significant enough to warrant the cost and therefore will qualify under the free boiler scheme.