New Boiler.

[carosio]

The Boiler Upgrade scheme as mentioned by geared does indeed only allow low-carbon replacements such as heat pumps or bio-mass boilers, but it seems there are other schemes as shown in Which?  report.   

 

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/boilers/article/buying-a-new-boiler/boiler-grants-can-i-get-a-free-boiler-a1OOC7R27kYS

 

Retep's friend could have had the replacement under the ECO pensioner scheme, but you have to be on Pensioner Guarantee Credit and the boiler has to be at least 10 years old.

 

https://heatingforce.co.uk/blog/free-boiler-replacement-grants-pensioners/#Free_Boilers_for_Pensioners_in_Northern_Ireland