UK Gas Boiler Ban: What You Need to Know

Gas has been in use for long. It has almost completely replaced the conventional fuels, like oil and coal. Gas is considered more environmentally friendly as compared to coal and oil. However, with the increase in gas usage for heating, cooking, and hot water supply, its impact on the environment has noticeably increased. 

According to a survey, homes in the UK generate more carbon than cars. It is estimated that there are around 25 million homes, where annual carbon emission is 58.5 million tons, whereas the same amount of CO2 could be generated by 28 million vehicles. There are around 27 million cars in the UK, which produce 56 million tons of carbon yearly. It means the carbon emission by using gas in homes is far more harmful to the environment.

That's an alarming proposition, which triggered the need to change the policies so that home carbon emissions can be minimized. Accordingly, the Government had planned to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The policy was announced in 2019 to phase out the use of gas boilers in homes. It was decided to ban the sale and use of gas boilers in homes by 2025.

However, the plans could not be implemented due to a panic situation among the homeowners, who got the impression that they would have to replace the currently installed gas boilers in their homes with alternate heating equipment. Hence, the Government has reportedly put the plan in abeyance. 

Net Zero Carbon Emission 2050

Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2050 is a global effort to achieve a balance between the emission of greenhouse gases and their removal from the atmosphere so that the ongoing process of global warming can be minimized. Global warming resulted from the historical Industrial Revolution, which started during the 1800s. The aim is to bring global warming to an ideal level of 1.5˚C, above the pre-industrial benchmark. In this respect, an agreement, commonly known as the Paris Agreement, was signed between the main stakeholders, like the US and the UK.

Net Zero Carbon Emission means that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted due to human activities needs to be offset through the removal of the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere. The idea is to achieve this target by 2050 by discontinuing fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and gas, and shifting to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind-powered energy generation. The target set for Net Zero Carbon Emission is bifurcated into two phases: achieving a 68% reduction by 2030 and the net zero emissions goal by 2050.

Scientists are of the view that achieving Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2050 is crucial, otherwise, life on this planet would suffer a lot by way of the severe impact of climate change. For this purpose, it was suggested to bring changes in almost all sectors, including agriculture, transportation, energy, and buildings by adopting renewable energy sources and electrification of transport systems. 

Despite the awareness of the severe impact of carbonization of the atmosphere on Earth, the implementation of Net Zero Carbon Emission plans is facing noticeable challenges. This transition needs a lot of financial resources and technology improvement across the globe. Above all, the entire world needs a firm commitment and political will.

The UK Government initiated implementing this sensitive concept in 2019, targeting banning the sale and use of gas boilers in new build properties by 2035. However, reportedly, the idea has been revisited by the Government.

UK Gas Boiler Ban: What You Need to Know

Although the UK Government had initiated the implementation of the Net Zero Carbon Emission strategy in 2019, setting the target of achieving the goal by 2050, practically, it could not be done as planned. Among various other measures, the most important was to ban the sale, installation, and use of gas boilers in new build homes by 2035. 

Sometimes later, this decision's implementation date was changed to 2025. However, this decision resulted in a hot discussion and controversy. It created panic among the homeowners, primarily due to misinterpretation of the policy. The majority of the homeowners misunderstood the cutoff date as being applicable immediately. But it was an ambitious task involving more than 29 million homes. 

So, the Government has now, reportedly decided to change the strategy for achieving a net zero carbon emission target. Instead of putting an immediate ban on gas boilers, they are now focusing on improving the home energy efficiency plans. They are also trying to incentivize the gas boiler replacement, with heat pumps.

Phasing Out the Gas Boilers

Although the ban on the sale and use of gas boilers by 2030 or 2035 has already been put in abeyance, the UK Government has announced an incentive of £7,500 grant to the homeowners under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which is expected to continue till 2028. 

Gas boilers are considered the primary source of carbon generation, whereas these are essential for homes for heating and hot water supply. So, the gas boilers need to be replaced with the heating equipment generating less or zero carbon. The Government of the UK is therefore planning to phase out the gas boilers gradually while keeping in mind the net zero carbon emission target by 2050. Accordingly, the gas boilers will be replaced with alternate heat providing appliances for the homes. 

Alternate Heat Providing Appliances for Homes

For a gradual replacement of gas boilers with less carbon emitting appliances, one must have a workable alternate arrangement. Over the years, people have adapted to using gas boilers for heating their homes and getting hot water during the winter. So, the alternative to gas boilers must be economical, user-friendly, and more efficient than conventional ones.

Currently, there are quite a few alternate options, available for homes in the UK. Some of them are listed below:

• Heat Pumps

An immediately available alternate solution to gas boilers is a Heat Pump. In simple words, it transfers the atmospheric heat from outside to inside the home, thus heating the internal environment. Another benefit of this type of appliance is that it can be used in summer by reversing the process and throwing out the internal heat inside the home.

Currently, there are two types of Heat Pumps which can be used as an alternative to gas boilers: 

1. Air Source Heat Pumps – This heat pump extracts heat from the air and transmits it to the rooms. These are also useful for home hot water supply, successfully replacing gas boilers. This type of heat pump ranges from £8,000 - £18,000, which sounds a bit higher. But their running cost is relatively low.
2. Ground Source Heat Pumps – As the name suggests, this heat pump extracts heat from the ground and transmits it inside the home. As they need relatively more space for installation, these are considered suitable for newly built homes. These are pretty efficient, irrespective of the outer atmospheric temperature because they get the heat from the ground, where temperature remains stable for most of the year.

• Biomass boilers 

A biomass boiler is the cheapest alternative option to a gas boiler. They can be installed in areas, where other types of heat pumps might not work properly. A biomass boiler is highly efficient as well as environmentally friendly, as it emits far less carbon as compared to gas or coal-fired boilers.

• Electric Boilers

Electric boilers are already in use in different parts of the UK. This is perhaps the best alternate to the gas boilers, as it is an efficient and low carbon emitting appliance for heating the rooms and hot water supply. However, the running cost might be considerably higher, due to more electricity consumption and higher rates of electricity. 

• Solar Thermal Powered Boilers

Solar-powered boilers are yet another workable alternative to gas boilers. These are already in use in various parts of the world. They extract the energy through solar panels for boiling water. This type of boiler is highly environmentally friendly but cannot be used during nighttime and in the areas, where the sun shines for a limited period due to overcast weather conditions. 

• Hydrogen Boilers

Hydrogen is also a useful replacement for gas. Gas boilers can be converted to Hydrogen as a replacement fuel and are expected to be quite successful. However, it is still in the developing stage. 

• Community Heating System

A community heating system is working successfully in some parts of the world. It is a centralized heating system for the entire community or district. Homes can be connected with this centralized heating system. This system mostly uses renewable energy sources; hence it can be a successful alternative to gas boilers.

Important 

Despite being a compelling activity, under the net zero carbon emission plan, implementing the ban on gas boilers in the UK needs a lot of consideration, both for the Government and the homeowners. Here are a few important factors to be considered by the Homeowners:

• The upfront cost of replacing gas boilers might be higher, ranging from £8,000 to £18,000. The Government has not yet announced the revised cutoff date for banning gas boilers, so homeowners have reasonable time to plan the replacement.
• For older homeowners, replacing gas boilers might be somewhat tricky. It may involve some more insulation and improved flooring to get the maximum benefit from replacing their gas boilers. This may involve a higher upfront cost.
• Homeowners can avail of the "Boiler Upgrade Scheme", as announced by the Government. Here, they can get a grant of £7,500 for replacing their current gas boilers.
• Homeowners can also avail the funding for insulating their homes under the “Energy Companies Obligation Scheme”, as offered by some of the gas supply companies.
• The government of the UK is planning to announce a policy for energy efficient requirements for new homes anytime during the year 2025, titled "Future Homes Standards.” Homeowners are required to keep in touch to get instant information about this legislation. 

Conclusion

As part of the Net Zero Carbon Emission Target by 2050, the UK Government, initially announced to ban the use and sale of gas boilers in homes by 2035. Later on, the date was revised to 2030. However, after the policy change, the plan to ban gas boilers in new build homes is currently suspended, but it is expected that a comprehensive strategy will be announced soon. 

In any case, the UK is set to phase out currently in-use gas boilers to give way to alternate heating appliances, like heat pumps, which are considered more environmentally friendly and less carbon emitting options. Although there are no immediate plans, homeowners should get ready to face this transition sooner rather than later. It is time for them to think about the replacement of older gas boilers, which would have completed their useful life, with alternative heating appliances. 

Don’t invest anymore in gas boilers; look for alternate arrangements.