UK scraps plans to ban sale of gas boilers by 2035
The UK is lagging behind the rest of Europe with around two heat pumps per 1000 households.
A total ban on gas boilers by 2035 is set to be scrapped by the UK government despite plans to drive up the use of heat pumps.
Homeowners won’t now be forced to replace gas boilers with a green alternative when their home heating needs an upgrade, the UK’s i newspaper reported.
New housebuilding standards, known as the future homes standard (FHS), are set to be published this year. These will reportedly still include a de facto ban on gas boilers in new homes.
This proposed set of regulatory changes would require newly built homes to be more energy efficient and emit less carbon. Stringent rules will likely mean gas boilers will no longer meet the minimum standards for green energy efficiency.
The history of the UK’s gas boiler ban
In 2021, home heating accounted for around 18 per cent of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Each gas boiler emits more than the equivalent of seven transatlantic flights a year.
The previous Conservative government had promised to ban the sale of new gas boilers by 2035. This would have meant that anyone replacing their boiler after this date would have to install a heat pump or another eco-friendly alternative.
In 2023, previous Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a backtrack on environmental policies including weakening the ban to an 80 per cent phase-out. Now the Labour government has scrapped plans for a total ban altogether but will still introduce tight rules for developers building new homes.
Speaking before the general election last year, Labour’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said “We haven’t stuck with the Government’s 2035 target when you can’t replace your gas boiler. I know that we’ve got to show that heat pumps are affordable and are going to work for people.”
UK lags behind in installing heat pumps
A total of 24 million heat pumps now installed in Europe are avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 7.5 million cars from the road. Many EU countries – like France, Norway and Denmark – have already banned new gas boilers or are in the process of phasing out fossil fuel home heating.
But the UK is lagging behind the rest of Europe with around two heat pumps per 1000 households.
The government is still aiming for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed across the country each year by 2028. It has promised to extend a £7,500 (€9,049) subsidy introduced in October last year for people who want to switch.
The UK has also employed the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to help change public opinion about heat pumps.
“We want to help people get a heat pump as families can save around £100 (€121) a year compared to a gas boiler by using a smart tariff effectively,” the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said in a statement.
“We also recently announced plans to remove planning constraints on heat pump installations to make them easier to install.”
An air source heat pump costs around £10,000 (€11,500) to buy and install with average upfront costs around two to four times higher than gas boilers.
The IEA says, however, that heat pumps can save consumers money in the long run, while shielding them from price shocks. Household savings were up to around €840 in Europe, according to a 2022 report.
UK plans to fight common heat pump myths
The drive to get more people on board with the technology is backed by a push to fight common misconceptions. This includes misinformation often shared on social media like heat pumps not working in the cold or being unsuitable for older buildings.
For example, the four countries with the largest share of heat pumps in the continent – Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia – face some of the coldest winters in Europe.
A recent study found they can still be more efficient than electric heating even in temperatures approaching -30C.
Planning rules are also being relaxed on old buildings to allow the installation of heat pumps, solar panels and double glazing.
Listed buildings are structures of special architectural or historic interest that are protected by regulations restricting renovations or demolition. Owners of buildings like this will no longer have to apply for permission to install new green tech under proposed measures.
The changes are likely to impact just under 3 million homes across the country.
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