An association of energy companies has urged the UK government “to recommit” to phasing out gas boilers by 2035, warning that the future of the country’s heating should be “clean, secure, and a driver of economic growth”.
Caroline Bragg, chief executive of the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), said the trade body is “disappointed” by reports that the government will scrap the phase-out of gas boilers by 2035.
“We are disappointed to hear reports that plans to phase out fossil boilers by 2035 may not be going ahead,” said Bragg.
“We know to meet our net zero targets heat decarbonisation needs to happen at pace — this can only occur with strong signals to industry and consumers. Weak signals and watered-down policy will jeopardise billions in green heating investment at the time when we need it the most.”
The trade association, which represents more than 160 organisations in the energy sector, warned that scrapping an already delayed ban on gas boilers “threatens to derail the UK’s journey to net zero”.
Heating UK homes is estimated to account for 18% of the UK’s emissions, according to a report by the National Audit Office.
If the government reneges on the phase-out of gas boilers, the trade body said it would put “billions in private investment at risk” that could otherwise be ploughed into heat pumps, heat networks and other innovative technologies.
A turnaround on the gas boiler ban would also “undermine investor confidence and risk locking the UK into dependence on foreign fossil fuels,” the organisation said.
“Should the government decide to scrap the 2035 ban on the installation of new gas boilers it will be a backward step that jeopardises the UK’s progress toward achieving its net zero targets,” added residential clean heating solution provider Aira UK’s chief executive Daniel Särefjord.
“This decision would risk undermining one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK and sends confusing signals to an industry poised to lead the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as people across the country.”
In October 2023, the former Conservative government pushed back dates for an original plan to ban gas boilers by 2026, a strategy that anticipated to grow the heat pump market to 600,000 installations per year by 2028, by nearly a decade.
Natural gas usage has declined in the past three years, with a cumulative reduction of about 24% in that period.
According to figures from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, a record 60,000 heat pumps were installed in the UK in 2024, double the number installed in 2022. The UK has now installed approximately 250,000 certified heat pumps.
“This remarkable growth confirms that the heat pump sector is not only ready to rise to the challenge but is also one of the UK’s most dynamic and rapidly expanding industries,” said Särefjord.
Grants for alternatives to boilers such as air-source heat pumps fell in November, according to boiler upgrade statistics updated by the UK government in December that estimate the capital grant uptake in support of low-carbon technologies.
There was an “18% decrease on the previous month”, and vouchers for boiler alternatives under the boiler upgrade scheme (BUS) were down 7% compared to the same period of 2023, government statistics showed.
The government said that “up until the end of November 2024, there were 62,191 BUS voucher applications received,” a vast majority of which, some 97%, were for grants towards air-source heat pumps.
Aira said heat pump user tariffs can save homeowners £525 per year on average, but although they are more efficient, heat pumps are typically more expensive than gas boilers, costing at least £7,000 to install.
Särefjord urged the government to remove “policy red tape”, without which, if clear implementation dates are set for planning permission changes, he estimates that heat pump sales could “surpass six figures” in 2025.
“A hard ban on the installation of new gas boilers by 2035 would provide an unambiguous signal to the heating industry and investors that it is time to divest from fossil fuels and fossil fuel-related products and services,” he added.
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