What are the reasons for the banning of installation of gas boilers?
The UK government wants to ban gas boilers in an attempt to get rid of harmful emissions. Up to 14% of UK emissions come from domestic energy use, and the country wants to reach a zero net target by 2050. Decarbonizing UK homes is a great challenge because millions will have to switch to low-carbon technologies. Most of the homes in the UK are centrally heated, and the majority rely on gas boilers.
The idea is to start banning the installation of gas boilers in new homes from 2025 and eventually discontinue their sale. At present, the only proposed legislation is banning gas boilers in new builds and only from the year 2025 onwards. This still has to be signed into law. When it becomes law, it will ensure that new homes built from 2025 onwards will produce 75% to 80% less carbon emissions.
Carbon emissions
National Housing Commission research shows that 25 million homes produce as much carbon as 28 million cars. Carbon is a major greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Most emissions come from burning fossil fuels, and about half of this comes from heating homes.
Gas boilers burn fuel to heat water, and this may be natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas. Underground pipes or refillable cylinders need to be regularly topped up. Switching to low-carbon heating methods that emit zero or little carbon is very important if the UK is to reach its green targets.
You can find out all the details of the UK gas boiler ban 2025 from the websites of leading brands like Best Electric Radiators, Elkatherm and Dimplex. The companies sells modern electric radiators, which are efficient, highly programmable alternatives to gas boilers.
High costs
One of the cons of gas boilers is that the cost of installing them and yearly maintenance is high. They meet the demand for heating, but alternatives like electric radiators offer much lower monthly heating bills and waste very little energy in heating up a home. Traditional boilers are far less efficient and waste more energy which translates into higher energy bills. Gas boilers usually require annual checkups, whereas alternatives such as solar panels require significantly less maintenance.
Greener alternatives
There are greener alternatives that produce much lower emissions than gas boilers. The type of alternative to go for will depend on various factors such as energy efficiency, installation costs, maintenance etc. Electric radiators and water heaters are energy-efficient, easy to install and usually come with warranties that make maintenance inexpensive.
Replacing a gas heater boiler with low carbon technology like heat pumps can save plenty of money on heating bills, but the costs of installing them can be high. Ground source heat pumps are best suited for newly built homes as retrofitting them can be challenging.
Installing heat pumps is expensive, but they have low maintenance and running costs which can eventually decrease annual energy bills. The UK has announced that it aims to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028.
Biomass boilers are better than gas boilers in terms of fuel costs and environmental impact, but they are difficult and costly to install. They also require a significant amount of space.
Government grants and incentives
The upfront costs of installing greener alternatives to gas boilers are expensive. This is why the government is incentivizing people to help them carry the costs. It has set aside money for households to receive government grants for a Boiler Upgrade Scheme. The scheme promotes using clean heat from low-carbon technologies like heat pumps. Grants and incentives may make it possible for more people to afford the installation of low-carbon alternatives.
Future-proofing homes
It’s likely to be many years before banning gas boilers in new builds will have a big impact on greenhouse gases. Due to the low number of new builds, environmental groups are campaigning for the UK government to do more than just ban gas boilers in new builds. If everyone looking to replace a gas boiler explores green alternatives, they can future-proof their homes well ahead of the new requirements. Upgrading old gas boilers in favor of energy-efficient alternatives could help the UK meet its green targets and benefit homeowners with reduced energy bills.