In a September 2023 announcement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the aim was to reduce the installation of gas boilers in new builds by 80%, rather than ban them completely1. The change concerns the rules for heating in newly built homes in the UK.
The same account records that one major change in 2022 was an adjustment to Building Regulations, under which any new-build properties are required to have a 31% reduction in their carbon footprint1. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) released a Heat and Buildings Strategy in 20211. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) was launched on 1 April 2022 and has approved funding up until 20251.
Gas remains the dominant heating fuel in existing homes. According to the statistics, 23 million homes in the UK have a gas boiler to supply their central heating and hot water1. Over two-thirds (78%) of UK residents use gas central heating to heat their homes, with electric storage heaters and oil central heating the next most popular options, both with a 5% share1. In 1970, only 30% of UK houses had a central heating system, rising to 95% by 20051.
On the boiler market, sales of UK domestic boilers hit almost 675,000 for the first four months of 2021, a 41% increase from the same time in 2020, when more than 476,000 units were sold1. The 12-month rolling average for the financial year ending 2021 was in excess of 1.75 million units, compared to 1.54 million units a year earlier, an increase of 14%1. 80% of boilers sold in the UK are combination heat and water boilers1.
"in a September 2023 announcement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the aim was to reduce the installation of gas boilers in new builds by 80%, rather than ban them completely"
Why it matters for households
The policy as described applies to new builds, not to the boiler already fitted in an existing home. For a household in an older property, the practical position on replacing a gas boiler is unchanged by this announcement, and the gas boiler ban question turns on separate rules. For anyone buying or specifying a new home, the shift from a ban to an 80% reduction target changes what heating system a new property is likely to be built with, and whether it can still connect to the gas network, which is covered in the guide to gas network connections for new builds.
The wider direction of travel sits with the Heat and Buildings Strategy and heat pump policy, and with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which was launched on 1 April 2022 with funding approved up until 20251. Building Regulations also bear on what can be installed and how, as set out in the guidance on Building Regulations for heating systems. For a home's energy independence, the key variable is the fuel a property is built to rely on: a new build designed around gas retains exposure to gas prices, while one built around electricity depends on the electricity price and on the property's insulation and controls.
What happens next
The announcement is dated September 2023. The sources do not set out a timetable for implementing the 80% reduction aim, nor the mechanism by which it would be delivered, and no further detail on the policy has been reported in the material available. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has approved funding up until 20251.
Sources1 cited
- UK boiler statistics 2023 - Uswitch, uswitch.com