AROUND 31,000 households in Worcestershire and Herefordshire on oil heating could be missing out on savings of almost £200 a year by not upgrading the old, inefficient boilers installed in their homes, according to the latest industry data.

A survey of domestic heating costs shows that an estimated two thirds of rural homes in the two counties could reduce their annual fuel bills by around 20 per cent, particularly over the next few months when the cold weather kicks in, by upgrading to a modern condensing boiler.

To support the move, OFTEC, the UK trade body for oil heating, is calling on the government to introduce a boiler scrappage scheme to enable more people to upgrade to a modern, condensing boiler and reduce their fuel bills as well as cut CO2 emissions.

Malcolm Farrow from OFTEC said: “The huge fall in the price of oil, which has more than halved in the last two years and is expected to remain low, is fantastic news for people in Worcestershire and Herefordshire who rely on oil heating. However, two thirds of these homes are missing out on further significant savings as they are using old, inefficient boilers. The government could be doing far more to support rural households who have so far been left out of energy policies by helping homeowners upgrade their boiler via a simple scrappage scheme. This would offer one of the quickest and most efficient ways of cutting fuel bills and reducing co2 emissions.”

Households in the area are already benefitting from a significant fall in oil prices with figures showing the annual cost of heating a typical three bedroom home with a condensing oil boiler is now only £886.