Gas boilers have been part of UK homes for many years, providing us with much-needed warmth and hot water. With increasing concerns over carbon emissions, however, making our homes energy-efficient is an emerging aspect. That makes the discovery of exciting alternatives pretty fascinating.
Probably the most popular option, air source heat pumps are friendly to the environment. The government ECO4 scheme offers air source heat pump grants that make them more accessible to a wide circle of homeowners without hikes in their prices. Interested in what might replace your gas boiler? Let’s dive deep into what options are coming next that could change how homes throughout the UK are being heated.
Future Home Standards for 2025
Future home standards represent the minimum that is going to be in place for new homes in England starting in 2025. It aims to make them more energy-efficient and greener. Key among the proposals is a phasing-out of gas boilers from newly built properties, along with their low-carbon and zero-carbon heating alternatives.
It therefore follows that for new builds, heat pumps, electric boilers, or even biomass boilers may become the default option. Hydrogen-fuelled boilers can also be one of them, but that, again, is under debate.
The government is already incentivising the use of heat pumps with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which provides up to £7,500 toward installation. If these standards come into effect as proposed, 2025 might be the year when how we heat our homes will change forever.
So, What Will Replace Gas Boilers in 2025?
Replacement systems for gas boilers are in the form of several energy-efficient options that offer ‘greener’ solutions. Some of these are already with us, while others are under strong development. Let us know about the most promising replacements so you can understand which one will be most suitable for your home.
- Heat Pumps
One of the popular variants over gas boilers is surely heat pumps. Basically, the heat pump works by extracting all the available heat from outdoor sources such as the air and ground and transfers it inside to warm your house.
With the ECO4 scheme, an entitled household is eligible for even a free air source heat pump grant that wholly compensates for the full expenses of such a system. Berks Insulation helps you claim your grant while making the process bother-free for you.
Air Source Heat Pumps
In particular, air source heat pumps employ fans to absorb even relatively cold outside air heat. The absorbed heat is processed to produce energy that warms the home’s air and water. Certainly, air source heat pumps are really efficient and perform quite appropriately in sufficiently insulated homes.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps tap into the natural heat stored in the earth. A system collects heat through pipes buried outside your home. It compresses the heat and uses it to warm your radiators and hot water.
Advantages of Heat Pumps
- Very energy-efficient, probably resulting in lower electricity bills.
- Low maintenance costs and service life exceed 20+ years.
- Environmentally friendly, requiring no fossil fuels to operate.
- This is because it is supported by the government in the form of reducing any upfront costs, such as air source heat pump grants.
Drawbacks of Heat Pumps
- Heat pumps provide heat at lower temperatures compared to gas boilers, and thus, they need to run for a longer period.
- Larger radiators or underfloor heating might be required to distribute the heat effectively.
- The equipment requires outdoor space, like a condenser unit or pipework buried underground.
- Electric Boilers
Electric boilers are a very modern yet quite simple alternative to gas boilers. Not relying on burning fuel such as gas, they use electricity is used for the heating element. It adds efficiency to their execution when installed. Hence, working much like a gas unit boiler, it relies alone on electricity.
One thing to bear in mind, however, is that electric boilers tend to be more expensive to operate than gas boilers. Unless you combine them with renewable energy sources like solar panels, their environmental benefits vary. They can be a greener option if the electricity used comes from renewable energy. If it comes from fossil fuels, their benefits decrease.
- Biomass Boilers
Biomass boilers are a greener alternative to gas boilers. They use renewable fuels, like wood pellets or chips, burning them to heat your home and water. This makes them better for the environment because the fuel is renewable, meaning that more trees can be replanted.
On the positive side, wood as a fuel is inexpensive and always priced steadily, unlike often fluctuating gas prices. However, biomass boilers are large and usually require a dedicated room or even space to store the fuel.
Do I Have to Replace My Gas Boiler by 2035?
The short answer? No, you do not have to replace your gas boiler by 2035.
If you already have a gas boiler, you can use it until the end of its life. The new standards will only kick in when you need to install a new boiler. So, there’s no need to worry about suddenly being forced to switch to a low-carbon alternative.
These changes will first affect those newly built homes because they won’t have any old heating systems installed. Having said that, the plans proposed by the government are not yet concrete. Whereas on the one side, there are people who have many views that the cost of switching to low-carbon alternatives is too expensive to be afforded in bad financial conditions. On the other hand, environmental groups are asking the country to take swift action to address climate change.
While current plans suggest that you will be able to buy gas boilers up until 2035, such plans may change. One would do well to stay updated on the latest happenings in this regard!
The Bottom Line
Switching from gas boilers forms part of the UK’s journey toward a reduced carbon emission rate, with the vision to create a greener future. For the time being, however, if you do have one, well and good, you can just continue with your boiler.
These new regulations will basically target those individuals who own new homes and those who install new heating systems. It would perhaps be rather wise for any upgrade to explore environmentally friendly alternatives such as heat pumps or electric boilers.