The government has opened a consultation on improving boiler standards and efficiency, seeking views on minimum standards, a hydrogen-ready requirement for newly-installed gas boilers from 2026, and the potential role of gas boiler-electric heat pump hybrids1. The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) publicised the consultation on 12 January 20231.
The consultation covers three areas: proposals to improve boiler and heating system efficiency through improvements to minimum standards; proposals to mandate that from 2026 all newly-installed gas boilers are "hydrogen-ready"; and the potential role of gas boiler-electric heat pump hybrids in heat decarbonisation in the 2020s and 2030s1. According to CIPHE, the proposals aim to reduce domestic gas consumption, thereby lowering consumer bills and carbon emissions, improving energy security, and preparing for the transition to low-carbon heating1.
"This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 21 March 2023"
CIPHE also asked its members to copy their comments to the institute1. No figures for proposed minimum efficiency levels, hybrid support or hydrogen-ready costs appear in the source1.
Why it matters for households
Minimum standards for boilers and heating systems set the baseline efficiency of the equipment installed in homes, which bears on running costs and on how much gas a household uses for the same heat output. The boiler efficiency and ErP ratings framework is the existing measure against which any new minimum would be set, and flow temperature settings affect real-world performance as much as the appliance rating does, as covered in boiler flow temperature.
A 2026 hydrogen-ready mandate would change what can be installed as a new gas boiler, though the term describes a boiler built to accept a hydrogen blend or conversion rather than one that runs on hydrogen today; the claim is set out in hydrogen-ready boilers, and the blend question in using a hydrogen blend with an existing boiler. The wider policy position is covered under hydrogen for home heating.
Hybrids combine a gas boiler with an electric heat pump, so their treatment in the consultation affects whether that option becomes a mainstream route for homes that are hard to electrify outright. For homes on gas, the practical questions remain efficiency, running cost and what can be fitted at replacement; the gas boilers guide covers types and efficiency, and the boilers and heating section covers the wider equipment picture. Off-gas homes are not addressed by the hydrogen-ready proposal as described, and oil appliances such as the Grant Vortex fall outside it. Electric alternatives such as the tepeo Zero Emission Boiler are also outside the scope of what CIPHE reported.
What happens next
The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 21 March 20231. No date has been reported for the government response or for any decision on the 2026 mandate. The regulation and policy section carries further coverage of standards affecting households, including energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes in Scotland.
Sources1 cited
- Improving Boiler Standards and Efficiency - Consultation, ciphe.org.uk