The government is set to axe the 2035 phase-out of gas boilers in its Future Homes Standard, the i reports.
The Conservative government previously targeted an 80% phase-out by 2035, as well as banning off-grid gas boilers in the same year.
However, minimum standards in new builds should eliminate the installation of new gas boilers, so they should slowly be phased out as the UK produces more housing stock.
Rather than having an outright ban it’s thought Labour could impose taxes on boiler manufacturers if they fail to meet targets for installing heat pumps, the main alternative to using a gas boiler.
Claire Coutinho, Conservative energy spokeswoman, told the Daily Mail “I’m afraid this is just a bait-and-switch from Labour as next week Ed Miliband will be introducing a boiler tax which will allow him to meddle with the price of boilers – effectively pricing families out of installing one by adding hundreds of pounds to the cost.”
The government currently offers a £7,500 grant for installing heat pumps, though they’re still considered a more expensive option, while they often don’t improve a property’s EPC rating.
Earlier this month the epIMS, the EPC and energy information platform developed for landlords, said that in its opinion heat pumps might not be the best way of improving private rental EPC ratings.
Analysis of government data by epIMS showed that the push for heat pumps has seen 113,555 government-supported heat pump installations take place across the UK over the last five years alone.
epIMS conceded that heat pumps may be more efficient, but not necessarily more cost effective.
This is down to the fact that they use electricity which tends to be more expensive than gas both in terms of raw energy prices (£0.2450 vs £0.0624 pence per kWh) and standing charges (£0.6099 vs £0.3166 pence per day). .
As a result, the total estimated annual bill for heating and hot water when using a ground source heat pump is £806, just £9 cheaper than a traditional gas boiler, whilst heating a home with an air source heat pump will set you back £1,001 a year on average.
The UK is currently well behind other European countries when it comes to heat pump adoption.
In Norway 635 out of every 1,000 households has a heat pump, compared to 47 in Germany and just 15 in the UK.
Heat pump firm slams government for “backward step”
The government’s decision to scrap a proposal to ban new gas boilers from 2035 has been dismissed as “backward” by a heat pump supplier.
The I newspaper claims that gas boilers will, as promised, be effectively banned in all new-build properties because they won’t meet stringent green guidelines under a new ‘warm homes plan’, set to be confirmed later this year.
Now in response to the newspaper’s claim, heat pump firm Aira UK claims that there are 250,000 certified heat pump installations in the UK, with nearly 60,000 installed last year alone.
It also claims that some companies are supplying special electricity tariffs tailored for heat pump users – one criticism of pumps in the past has been that running them via electricity has been expensive.
A spokesperson for Aira says “should the government decide to scrap the 2035 ban on the installation of new gas boilers it will be a backward step that jeopardises the UK’s progress toward achieving its net zero targets. This decision would risk undermining one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK and sends confusing signals to an industry poised to lead the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as people across the country.
New figures from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme show that nearly 60,000 heat pumps were installed across the UK in 2024, a record-breaking achievement and a 100% increase on 2022. This remarkable growth confirms that the heat pump sector is not only ready to rise to the challenge but is also one of the UK’s most dynamic and rapidly expanding industries.
A hard ban on the installation of new gas boilers by 2035 would provide an unambiguous signal to the heating industry and investors that it is time to divest from fossil fuels and fossil fuel-related products and services. Clear policy commitments like this are essential for accelerating the shift to greener and cleaner technologies, and helps to position the UK as a global leader in sustainable innovation.”