A coalition of more than 40 organisations wrote to the UK Minister for Housing on 21 March 2023 to seek confirmation that no new gas grid connections will be permitted under the Future Homes Standard1. The group includes architects, housing organisations, energy companies, financial institutions, installers, manufacturers, aviation firms and civil society bodies1.
The letter states that the standard will set out requirements for newly built homes to ensure high energy performance, with electric technologies such as heat pumps anticipated to be the primary heating source, alongside low carbon heat networks1. It argues that heat pumps are 3 to 4 times more efficient than gas boilers and that clear policy signals through the standard are needed to spur private investment in British manufacturing and skills1.
"There is a risk that allowing 'hydrogen-ready' boilers to be installed under the Future Homes Standard could create a loophole which would allow new homes to be connected to the gas grid and burn fossil fuels for years to come."
The coalition says 100% hydrogen for heating is not yet a tried and tested technology and is unlikely to be available for decades, and cites a House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee conclusion that hydrogen will have a limited role in replacing gas in heating homes1. It adds that allowing hydrogen-ready boilers and new gas connections could lock new homeowners into fossil fuels and expose them to costly retrofits if the domestic gas grid is never fully converted to green hydrogen1.
On installation rates, the letter says the UK has a target to install 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028 but installed only 40,000 in 2022, and that approximately 59 million heat pumps are installed across Europe and over 190 million worldwide1. Signatories include E3G, Nationwide Building Society, Coventry Building Society, E.ON, Octopus, Energy UK, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the UK Green Building Council, the Heat Pump Federation, Greenpeace UK and WWF UK, among others1.
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Heat pump efficiency versus gas boilers | 3 to 4 times more efficient1 |
| Heat pumps installed in Europe | approximately 59 million1 |
| Heat pumps installed worldwide | over 190 million1 |
| UK target, heat pumps per year by 2028 | 600,0001 |
| UK installations in 2022 | 40,0001 |
Why it matters for households
The Future Homes Standard will govern how newly built homes are heated, so its treatment of gas connections shapes what buyers of new homes can expect to run and pay for. A home connected to the gas grid depends on that network for heating and cooking, and its running costs track gas prices; a home built around a heat pump runs on electricity and, per the letter, uses roughly a third to a quarter of the energy of a gas boiler for the same heat1. The coalition's concern is that a hydrogen-ready boiler allowance would keep new homes on fossil gas, leaving owners exposed to later retrofit costs if the grid is not converted1. The letter does not state what retrofit costs would be, and no figure for them has been reported1. For homes already off the gas network, the standard does not apply retrospectively; the practical questions of fuels, costs and support are covered in the site's guide to living off the gas grid.
What happens next
The letter seeks confirmation from the government that no new gas grid connections will be permitted under the Future Homes Standard1. No government response or decision date is given in the letter or its accompanying announcement1.