Gas boilers being banned is kind of a lie - it's only in new builds (years from now).
You may have heard of a proposed ‘gas boiler ban’ that could come into effect in 2025.
But what does this ‘gas boiler ban’ actually mean and will you be able to replace your gas boiler post-2025?
Spoiler: so far, it's only proposed and is only going to apply to new build properties.
We’ll answer all these questions and more in the following guide.
Let’s begin...
PS We fit new combi boilers and hybrid heat pumps with installation nationwide. Simply answer these questions, get your fixed price and you could get it installed as quick as tomorrow.
Will Gas Boilers Be Banned After 2025?
First things first, no, there will not be an outright ban on having gas boilers replaced after 2025.
However, the government has proposed that it will be illegal to add gas boilers to new build properties from 2025 onward.
Therefore, if you find yourself purchasing a brand new house in the latter 2020s onward, this proposed ban could affect you.
However, that assumes that this type of ban will be introduced in the first place. For now, it is just a proposal.
Of course, if you are planning to stay in your current home for the years to come (or at least not move into a new build property any time soon), you won’t need to worry.
The UK’s energy economy and domestic heating landscape are nowhere near ready for a fast and total phase-out of gas boilers nationwide.
It is possible that gas boiler replacements may be outlawed before the use of existing gas boilers is outlawed entirely.
For the conditions to arise for a total gas boiler ban even to be considered, presumably the majority of UK households would already need to have a low-carbon or zero-carbon alternative in place (e.g., heat pump or electric boiler powered by renewable energy).
Moreover, there would surely need to be an easy and cost-efficient way for the remaining households to switch to an alternative to natural gas boilers.
Therefore, if there ever is to be a full ban on gas boilers (or at least natural gas boilers, since hydrogen boilers may play a role in the future), it’s likely to be many decades away.
We wouldn’t bet on that happening any time soon. In other words, don’t panic, no one from a government organisation is going to knock on your door and ask for your boiler.
Future Home Standards For 2025 and a Potential Ban for New Builds
The Future Home Standards are set to be introduced for England in 2025.
It is possible (although not yet confirmed) that as part of these regulations, it will no longer be possible to have gas boilers added to new build properties.
This would apply to the initial heating installation after the property is constructed and at any point in the property’s future.
While the Future Home Standards is specific to England, we would not be surprised for similar measures to follow across the rest of the UK in the years ahead.
However, the inclusion of a gas boiler ban for new build properties would be needed to establish momentum.
That is unless another region of the UK abruptly introduces similar measures.
Returning to the Future Home Standards, if it includes a ban on gas boiler installations, it will mean that new build properties from 2025 onward must use low-carbon and zero-carbon alternatives.
Therefore, if the government follows through on their plans, new build properties from 2025 will feature heating systems such as heat pumps, electric boilers powered by renewable energy and perhaps even biomass boilers in some cases.
100% hydrogen-fuelled boilers may also play a role in the future, although there is heated debate as to whether or not they will prove viable/popular.
The government is already backing heat pumps in England and Wales through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
The BUS offers a reduction of £5,000 for an air source heat pump installation or £6,000 for the case of a ground source heat pump.
It’s important to note that you cannot apply for the BUS directly. Instead, your installer will need to apply on your behalf.
You should also be aware that not all households will be eligible.
As for the £1,000 difference in cost reduction offered by the BUS, this makes sense considering that ground source heat pumps tend to be more expensive.
If the Future Home Standards is introduced in the manner we suspected it might be, it will represent further government support for heat pumps.
With that being said, when the government published the Heat and Building Strategy in October it became clear that it is not yet certain that the gas boiler ban for new builds will be introduced in 2025.
This is because the government announced that they seek to consult on whether or not it is appropriate to take such a step as soon as 2025.
So, there’s a possibility that the new-builds gas boiler ban will be delayed, perhaps until 2030 or 2035, but only time will tell.
Will There Be a Ban on Gas Boiler Replacements?
As touched on, there may someday be a ban on having existing gas boilers replaced and then perhaps even eventually a total ban on the use of gas boilers, full-stop.
The latter is something for the distant future, we’d imagine.
Perhaps this might occur in the 2050-2070 timeline if net zero government targets give way to zero carbon aims post-2050.
However, we’re getting very speculative at that point.
Focusing on the former, there were some expectations that The Heat and Buildings Strategy will confirm a ban on gas boilers from 2035 onward.
However, the strategy actually proposed a transition to low-carbon heating options rather than a swift ban.
This seems more realistic anyway as current trends do not suggest that the UK would be ready for a total ban on new gas boilers in just twelve years’ time.
In order for 2035 to be a realistic target for a ban on gas boiler replacements, rapid progress would be required in the growth of alternative heating solutions.
While the BUS and a proposed gas boiler ban for new-builds from 2025 would represent a good start, further government incentives and investment will be necessary.
Moreover, a drop in the price of heat pumps and other low-carbon/zero-carbon heating systems will be required.
Therefore, even with the level of progress that is likely to come over the next decade or so, we don’t believe it’s realistic that gas boiler replacements will be outlawed by 2035, although it’s certainly not impossible.
More on the Low-Carbon Alternatives to Gas Boilers
We’ve already touched on several low-carbon heating options that may play a big role in the future.
Let’s now look at these systems in more detail.
Heat Pumps
As mentioned, heat pumps already have some momentum behind them in the form of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
But what exactly are heat pumps and how do they work?
Heat pumps are designed to harness energy from the environment surrounding the property they are installed on.
They achieve this by harnessing energy from the air (air source heat pumps) or from the heat beneath the ground (ground source heat pumps).
This energy/heat is then used to warm a property directly or indirectly.
It can achieve this directly through air ducts or indirectly by heating water that can then be sent to radiators or/and underfloor heating to warm rooms throughout the property.
Electric Boilers
Electric boilers are very similar to gas boilers in how they function, but, of course, they are powered by electricity rather than, say, natural gas or LPG.
Instead of burning gas to generate heat within (to warm the water entering the boiler), electric boilers use a heating element which is fuelled by electricity.
While electric boilers are more expensive to run than gas boilers (unless you power them with on-site renewable tech such as solar panels), they can be better for the environment.
However, for electric boilers to actually prove eco-friendly, it’s important that the electricity used is actually sourced through renewable means.
If an electric boiler uses electricity that was produced using fossil fuels, it isn’t really eco-friendly.
But if the electricity comes from on-site renewable tech or even just a green energy provider, it can be much better for the environment than the average gas boiler.
Related reading:
Hydrogen Boilers
While some gas boilers can already partially run on hydrogen, true, 100% hydrogen-fuelled boilers are still in development.
With that being said, it’s very possible that in just a few years’ time, 100% hydrogen boilers will hit the market.
Such boilers could prove much better for the environment than natural gas boilers since hydrogen is a clean, non-toxic and highly efficient fuel source.
What’s more, with hydrogen being the most abundant element in the universe, it’s effectively a renewable resource.
On the other hand, hydrogen is costly to generate and thus hydrogen boilers may end up significantly more expensive to run than natural gas boilers, at least at first.
Beyond that, hydrogen is not easy to store and given its high energy content, hydrogen is a volatile and dangerous fuel.
Unless significant progress in safety is made, hydrogen boilers will pose a greater threat to health and safety than natural gas boilers do.
So, there’s a long way to go before hydrogen boilers can even begin to have a shot at shaping the future of domestic heating in the UK, but they should not be ruled out either.
Biomass Boilers
Lastly, some households may deem it suitable to have a biomass boiler installed.
While expensive, they can be good matches for especially large properties. However, they are usually only installed on commercial premises.
Biomass boilers are relatively eco-friendly and work by burning organic matter (e.g., wood pellets) to produce the heat needed to warm a home and also meet its hot water needs.
Related heating/energy guides:
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