Boiler Upgrade Scheme

A new Government scheme to encourage householders to switch to low-carbon heating systems will be introduced from April 2022 offering grants of up to £5,000 towards the cost of an upgrade.

What Will Replace Gas?

The new scheme will aim to encourage homeowners to install a low-carbon heating system in place of existing gas or oil systems with the £450m funding available expected to help install 90,000 heat pumps over three years.

However, heat pumps will not be suitable for everyone as they must be installed outside and require indoor space for a hot-water cylinder. Also, heat pumps work best in homes that are already energy efficient and so anyone living in a poorly insulated property may face larger energy bills and or colder rooms.

The good news is that heat pumps are not the only alternative to fossil fuel boilers and the Government are well aware that a mix of low-carbon technologies will be needed to achieve their goal of all homes being Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C compliant by 2035 as different homes will need different types of heating.

Other Low-Carbon Alternatives

There are a number of companies working on innovative low-carbon heating systems, such as microwave boilers and heat storage batteries, which are powered by electricity with the aim being to increase electricity generation from renewable sources such as wind and solar. In response, to reduce the cost of running electric heating systems, the Government are expected to shift existing levies away from electricity and over to gas in the next 5-10 years.