The Future Of Gas Boilers

Will gas boilers be banned?

No, not outright. The plan is to reduce the number of new gas boilers installed and not ban them altogether, at least not in the short term. As it stands the ruling only applies to the 160,000 or so new homes built each year.

Owners of existing homes, built before 2025, will still be able to install a new gas or oil-fired boiler. This will allow homeowners to update older boilers with more energy-efficient models.

While new gas-fired boilers are not as environmentally friendly as renewable heating technologies, due to their use of fossil fuels. They are still considered to be an extremely efficient way of heating homes and providing hot water.

The latest hydrogen ready models are designed to burn a mix of 20% hydrogen 80% natural gas which will help reduce CO2 emissions by around 6 million tonnes(open in a new window) a year.

Although in trial stages, hydrogen technology (if proven successful) would be the easiest option for homeowners looking to upgrade to greener energy when heating their homes.

Read our Hydrogen Boilers Article for more information.

What will replace gas boilers in 2025?

Several eco-friendly technologies are available to provide heat and hot water to homes. Some of these are more viable than others, however. Let’s look at the most common technologies in more detail.

Heat pumps

Heat pumps are the most mature technology, they essentially work in the opposite way to an air conditioning system. Some systems even provide the option to reverse the process to provide cool air in the summer months.

There are several types of heat pumps but the two most common are:

Air-source heat pumps

This type of pump works by using a special refrigerant to absorb natural heat from the air outside. The refrigerant is then compressed to increase its temperature further.

The heat from the refrigerant is then transferred to the water where it can be pumped to conventional style radiators around the home. This type of setup can also be used to heat hot water for taps and showers.

Ground source heat pumps

Ground source heat pumps work in a similar way to air-source pumps. The difference between the two is that ground source heat pumps draw heat from the ground using a network of pipes known as the ground heat exchange loop.

Ground source heat pumps are more efficient than air-source heat pumps, but this efficiency is offset by more expensive installation costs. A large area of land is also required to lay the ground heat exchange loop. So they are not practical for every home.

Electric boilers

Electric boilers use a heating element to heat water in a cylinder. The heated water is then transferred to radiators and taps using a pump, in the same way as a conventional gas boiler type system.

Electric boilers are more expensive to run than either heat pumps or gas boilers. However running costs are offset somewhat by being cheaper to install. They can also be integrated with a solar PV installation to provide low cost, low carbon energy.

Read our Best Electric Combi Boiler 2023 Guide for our top recommendations.

Solar heating systems

Solar heating systems collect energy from the sun using special solar collectors located on the roof. This heat is then transferred to a water tank in the loft. The heated water is then fed around the home, in the same way as a conventional heating system.

The use of solar collectors means this type of system is often confused with solar PV systems, but they are very different animals. A solar PV system can only be used to generate electricity. While solar heating systems can only be used to heat water.

One downside to this type of system is that it’s dependent on the weather. So you will need to install a backup immersion heater to provide hot water should your primary system not be able to produce enough water at the required temperature.

Read more on Solar Thermal Solutions for your home/business on our solar energy website solarpanelprices.co.uk.

Conclusion

While gas boilers remain an option for heating existing homes. The move to low carbon alternatives for new-builds means these technologies will become more standardised and cost-effective in the future.

However, the most suitable option for homeowners with existing gas boilers (should it prove viable) will be the hydrodgen based alternative, which is still in the experimental stages. Depending on how the trials go we could see hydrogen heating as an option for many homes by 2025.