Gas boilers will be BANNED from 2035 and consumers offered heat pump grants
Boris will BAN all gas boilers in 2035 and launch a £5,000 grant to replace them… with green alternatives that cost £10,000 or more
Boris Johnson is set to announce his Heat and Buildings Strategy next week Proposals will ban new gas boilers by 2035 and encourage consumers to switchThere will also be a ‘boiler upgrade scheme’ with grants for heat pumps increased to £5,000 and made available to more householdsHeat pumps cost £10,000 and have raised concerns in old buildings and flats
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Boris Johnson is planning a ban on all new gas boilers by 2035 and more incentives to use green alternatives as he pushes to hit the government’s net zero target.
Boris Johnson is planning a ban on all new gas boilers by 2035 and more incentives to use green alternatives as he pushes to hit the government’s net zero target.
The Prime Minister is expected to unveil his long-awaited Heat and Buildings Strategy next week.
Proposals are believed to include a ‘boiler upgrade scheme’ and grants for consumers looking to install a heat pump.
It will also set a firm date of 2035 to completely prohibit the installation of new gas boilers, according to The Telegraph.
Builders have already been given a 2025 cut-off for fitting conventional gas boilers in new-build homes.
Ahead of the announcement, Mr Johnson will take his Cabinet colleagues on an ‘away day’ to discuss the green agenda somewhere in south-west England.
The strategy unveiling will comes just ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, which as host the PM will want to prove the UK’s commitment to hitting its target for net zero emissions by 2050.
There are also expected to be plans for shifts to green transport and investment in emerging sectors of the economy.
Homeowners are set to be offered a £5,000 ‘boiler upgrade grant’ it they choose to switch to a heat pump early.
This is an increase on the £4,000 subsidy known as the Clean Heat Grant – although some insiders have suggested the figure could have rise to £7,000.
The devices, however, cost around £10,000 and need to be either installed in the ground or outside the house. Concerns have been raised about their effectiveness in older buildings and blocks of flats.
Ministers are looking at reducing the cost of heat pumps after complaints that affordability was keeping some consumers from taking up the option and simply replacing their old gas boiler instead.
The Government is also exploring ways to enable or require new natural gas boilers to be easily convertible to use hydrogen by 2026.
Some hydrogen-ready models are available on the market, but questions over their practicality remain.
Other alternatives to gas boilers include electric or electric-combi boilers, central and biomass boilers.
A Government spokesman said: ‘We want to encourage people to take up more efficient technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicles by removing levies on electricity over time, working with industry to drive down costs of technologies and ensure they are as affordable as current options.’
How much will gas boiler alternatives cost you?
GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS (£14,000 – £19,000)
Ground source heat pumps use pipes buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground, which can then heat radiators, warm air heating systems and hot water.
They circulate a mixture of water and antifreeze around a ground loop pipe. Heat from the ground is absorbed into the fluid and then passes through a heat exchanger.
Installation costs between £14,000 to £19,000 depending on the length of the loop, and running costs will depend on the size of the home and its insulation.
Users may be able to receive payments for the heat they generate through the Government’s renewable heat incentive. The systems normally come with a two or three year warranty – and work for at least 20 years, with a professional check every three to five years.
Ground source heat pumps circulate a mixture of water and antifreeze around a ground loop pipe. Heat from the ground is absorbed into the fluid and then passes through a heat exchanger, and running costs will depend on the size of the home
AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS (£11,000)
Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air at low temperature into a fluid to heat your house and hot water. They can still extract heat when it is as cold as -15C (5F), with the fluid passing through a compressor which warms it up and transfers it into a heating circuit.
They extract renewable heat from the environment, meaning the heat output is greater than the electricity input – and they are therefore seen as energy efficient.
There are two types, which are air-to-water and air-to-air, and installing a system costs £9,000 to £11,000, depending on the size of your home and its insulation.
A typical three-bedroom home is said to be able to save £2,755 in ten years by using this instead of a gas boiler.
Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air at low temperature into a fluid to heat your house and hot water. They extract renewable heat from the environment, meaning the heat output is greater than the electricity input
HYDROGEN BOILERS (£1,500 – £5,000)
Hydrogen boilers are still only at the prototype phase, but they are being developed so they can run on hydrogen gas or natural gas – so can therefore convert without a new heating system being required.
The main benefit of hydrogen is that produces no carbon dioxide at the point of use, and can be manufactured from either water using electricity as a renewable energy source, or from natural gas accompanied by carbon capture and storage.
A hydrogen-ready boiler is intended to be a like-for-like swap for an existing gas boiler, but the cost is unknown, with estimates ranging from £1,500 to £5,000.
The boiler is constructed and works in mostly the same way as an existing condensing boiler, with Worcester Bosch – which is producing a prototype – saying converting a hydrogen-ready boiler from natural gas to hydrogen will take a trained engineer around an hour.
This graphic from the Government’s Hy4Heat innovation programme shows how hydrogen homes would be powered
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS (£4,800)
Solar photovoltaic panels generate renewable electricity by converting energy from the sun into electricity, with experts saying they will cut electricity bills.
Options include panels fitted on a sloping south-facing roof or flat roof, ground-standing panels or solar tiles – with each suitable for different settings. They are made from layers of semi-conducting material, normally silicon, and electrons are knocked loose when light shines on the material which creates an electricity flow.
The cells can work on a cloudy day but generate more electricity when the sunshine is stronger. The electricity generated is direct current (DC), while household appliances normally use alternating current (AC) – and an inverter is therefore installed with the system.
The average domestic solar PV system is 3.5 kilowatts peak (kWp) – the rate at which energy is generated at peak performance, such as on a sunny afternoon. A 1kWp set of panels will produce an average of 900kWh per year in optimal conditions, and the cost is £4,800.
Solar photovoltaic panels (left) generate renewable electricity by converting energy from the sun into electricity. Solar water heating systems (right), or solar thermal systems, use heat from the sun to warm domestic hot water
SOLAR WATER HEATING (£5,000)
Solar water heating systems, or solar thermal systems, use heat from the sun to warm domestic hot water.
A conventional boiler or immersion heater can then be used to make the water hotter, or to provide hot water when solar energy is unavailable.
The system works by circulating a liquid through a panel on a roof, or on a wall or ground-mounted system.
The panels absorb heat from the sun, which is used to warm water kept in a cylinder, and those with the system will require a fair amount of roof space receiving direct sunlight for much of the day to make it effectively.
The cost of installing a typical system is between £4,000 and £5,000, but the savings are lower than other options because it is not as effective in the winter months.
BIOMASS BOILERS (£5,000 – £19,000)
Biomass heating systems can burn wood pellets, chips or logs to heat a single room or power central heating and boilers
The renewable energy source of biomass is generated from burning wood, plants and other organic matter such as manure or household waste. It releases carbon dioxide when burned, but much less than fossil fuels.
Biomass heating systems can burn wood pellets, chips or logs to heat a single room or power central heating and hot water boilers.
A stove can also be fitted with a back boiler to provide water heating, and experts say a wood-fuelled biomass boiler could save up to £700 a year compared to a standard electric heating system.
An automatically-fed pellet boiler for an average home costs between £11,000 and £19,000, including installation, flue and fuel store. Manually fed log boiler systems can be slightly cheaper, while a smaller domestic biomass boiler starts at £5,000.
