Gas Boiler Ban In The UK

What’s happening to gas boilers?

As homeowners, we have become accustomed to low-cost and accessible heat, although it has been proven to be responsible for a high percentage of greenhouse gas emissions. Because of this, gas boilers in the UK will be phased out, to align with the UK government’s determined plan to achieve Net Zero by 2050. Gas boilers and various fossil fuels are a considerable obstruction to achieving the Net Zero goal, portraying the obvious need to phase them out. However, it has not yet been confirmed when this will occur.

The UK government announced a plan to decarbonise the nation, including £5000 government grants which will be gifted to households as part of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. This will begin in April 2022 and run for three years, to promote clean heat and low carbon technologies

Does the gas boiler ban apply to you?

You may be worried the gas boiler ban applies to you, however the gas and oil ban in 2025 currently only applies to newbuild properties. There are no plans as of yet to phase out gas boilers in existing households (February, 2022). Although, the government may encourage more of us homeowners to ditch gas for the alternatives.

In the future, it is possible there could be a complete boiler ban for UK homeowners, where we would have to replace our boilers with one of the low-carbon alternatives.

What are the alternatives to a gas boiler?

Homeowners are not short of alternatives to their gas boiler:

Air Source Heat Pumps

The air outside consists of heat, even though it may not feel like it, especially in the winter months. Air source heat pumps demonstrate efficient heating and cooling for hot water systems and space heating. The installation can cost anywhere from £8,000 - £18,000, which may seem extremely costly, however the maintenance and running costs will provide a decrease on your annual energy bills, whilst saving our planet.

This pump extracts heat from the air outside, some models work from temperatures as low as 25C, which is used to deliver hot water and heat into your home.

Ground Source Heat Pumps

This alternative to gas boilers is commonly suggested for new build homes, where you can design the layout with ground source heat pumps in mind, as they can take up a large amount of space. These heat pumps are essentially silent and continue to remain efficient even in colder months as heat is sourced from the ground and holds a constant temperature (10-15C), as the heat from the sun is warming up the ground on a daily basis. This heat pump extracts heat and uses it to deliver central heating and hot water.

Electric Boilers

Even though all boilers need some electricity to perform, electric boilers don’t burn any fuel, suggesting they are much safer than gas boilers and are less costly in maintenance and run into any faults. However, they are not able to meet high demands for hot water or heating in your home, they would not be a good option for larger homes or families. If you have a smaller home, family or flat they would be a suitable alternative to a gas boiler.

Biomass Boilers

Biomass boilers are usually a cheaper option than gas or oil-fired boilers and have positive environmental impact, which implies they may be the best alternative for households where heat pumps may not be appropriate. Biomass boilers operate in the same way as conventional boilers which burn fuel, they burn biomass, which is a biological material that comes from plant-based organisms, e.g. wood logs. There are two types of biomass boilers, which are manually-fed and automatically-fed. If you choose a manual biomass boiler, you will need to fill it with fuel when it’s needed, Whereas if you had an automatic, on one hand this would save you from this job, on the other hand they can take up even more space.

Is it worth getting a new gas boiler?

As the government might eventually ban gas boilers and the high percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, there may not be a bright future for them. There may come a time where your gas boiler may need to be replaced after its lifespan. As you have read earlier, there are many alternatives to choose from, regarding price, space and preference.

Although, unless you are building a new home the gas boiler ban should not affect you and your household.

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Posted: 18 May 2023