New gas boilers should be phased out within a decade, according to the Government’s net zero review.
The review, carried out by Tory MP Chris Skidmore and published on Friday, calls on the Government to legislate to phase out gas boilers by 2033, rather than 2035.
It also recommended plans to increase solar and onshore wind generation, including a target of increasing solar generation fivefold by 2035.
Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Skidmore said that the UK needs a “new approach” to net zero.
He added: “There is an active, strategic choice to be made. Does the UK wish to compete in the net zero race, with the chance to lead, or do we wish to simply observe from the sidelines?”
Mr Skidmore was commissioned by Liz Truss’s government in September to consider how the country could deliver “maximum economic growth and investment” alongside the Government’s climate change ambitions, while also considering the need for energy security and the costs for the public.
The report received a warm welcome from several campaign groups, with the Government urged to heed the review.
CPRE, the countryside charity, said that the review showed the need for a “massive uplift in renewables”.
Sarah McMonagle, the acting director at the charity, said: “Solar energy could be transformative, if only our politicians would grasp the opportunity.
“With a few simple planning policy tweaks the installation of solar panels could enhance the value of homes, farms and factories in every pocket of the country.
“Solar panels are like a money-saving carbon reduction device that plugs on top of existing structures.”
Tanya Steele, chief executive of WWF, said that the review “shows the grass is greener with net zero”.
She added: “It’s concerning that the UK Government has been stop-start in its policies and implementation plans for net zero across renewable energy, food and farming and economic security – at a time we’ve never needed it more.”
Recommended for you
