Free boiler scheme worth it?

[Renton212]

has anyone any experience with getting a free boiler under the government eco scheme?
I have a fully working but old standard baxi boiler. I am about to go into the survey stage for an upgrade with a company called improveeasy.

I’m nervous because I don’t know yet if I can pick the boiler I want, whether the workmanship will be ok and whether it will be super fast to do.
The last thing I want is to be seduced by these promises and they rip out my fully working boiler and put in a cheap free crap that always breaks down, has no aftercare and is a nightmare to install time wise with constant chasing etc.

I don’t know whether to just upgrade privately when I am ready as I’m ok financially. Thanks for any advice

My last boiler was 'free' with a similar scheme and the whole experience was bad. The boiler broke down many times and effectively costs me a lot in lost earnings taking time off for engineers. A year after installation, the workmen had to return as they hadn't used the correct diameter of pipes or something and so they took my floor up again. Not fun.

exactly the type of thing I am worried about. Sorry to hear about your experience but the knowledge is much appreciated.

We had a 'free' boiler to replace a 20 year old one. We paid an additional contribution to upgrade from their basic model to a Vaillant. The two different fitters we saw, the first was quite new to it and I didn't completely trust he'd do what we wanted, but the guy who turned up to actually install the boiler was great.

Oh, and the boiler is great too :) No problems at all. It was just the process when dealing with the first guy which wasn't ideal - delays as well as the uncertainty about his competence. But it all worked out well.

I did this 4 years ago, paid to upgrade to a Worcester and haven't had any issue. Really pleased I went for it in the end.

Sorry to jump on this. But do you have to be a low income family to qualify? Or does child tax enough? So I've seen some say you have to claim UC etc as well as child tax? Our boiler is over 20 years old!!

I was on low income and claiming UC at the time. Check EntiltedTo for more info.

I went through the ECO boiler scheme myself last year. The process can be a bit confusing depending on the installer, but overall, it worked out well and saved on heating costs. If you want a clear guide on how it works, visit this page https://ecovairenergy.co.uk/free-boiler-grant/.