The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) opened a consultation on raising product standards for space heating at midday on 17 December 2024, seeking views on proposals to update ecodesign and energy labelling legislation for space and combination heaters1. The consultation ran to 11:59pm on 25 March 2025 and is now listed as closed, with the outcome not yet published1.
The consultation set out four groups of proposals. On electrification of heat, it proposed raising minimum efficiency standards for heat pumps and introducing such standards for hybrid heat pumps for the first time1. On fossil fuel heating, it proposed removing some lower performing products from the market and improving interoperability between different manufacturers' products, building on the previous government's Improving boiler standards and efficiency consultation and response published in March 20241. On labelling, it proposed reforming the current space heating energy efficiency scale, under which most products achieve a rating of between A and A+++, to a simpler A to G scale1. On enforcement, it proposed tightening the tolerances accepted under verification testing, revising product efficiency benchmarks, and changes to third party testing requirements to allow recognition of testing completed in other jurisdictions, such as the EU1.
DESNZ said the proposals aim to "increase the efficiency of space heaters, thereby both reducing carbon emissions and consumer bills, along with driving efficiency within the space heater market and increasing consumer clarity when choosing products"1.
"We have also published Options Assessments and a draft Statutory Instrument alongside this consultation."
The published documents comprise a 94 page consultation document, a 71 page draft Statutory Instrument titled the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Space Heaters and Temperature Controls) Regulations, a 23 page options assessment on gas boilers and a 35 page options assessment on heat pumps1. The consultation was open to anyone to respond, with views welcomed in particular from consumers, installers, manufacturers and wider industry1.
| Proposal area | What was proposed |
|---|---|
| Heat pumps | Raise minimum efficiency standards; introduce standards for hybrid heat pumps for the first time |
| Fossil fuel heating | Remove some lower performing products from the market; improve interoperability between manufacturers' products |
| Labelling | Replace the A to A+++ space heating scale with a simpler A to G scale |
| Verification | Tighten testing tolerances; revise efficiency benchmarks; recognise testing done in other jurisdictions such as the EU |
Why it matters for households
Minimum standards and labels shape which heaters can be sold in the UK and how their running costs are presented at the point of purchase. The proposed A to G rescaling would change what a label on a heating appliance shows, since under the current scale most products sit between A and A+++, compressing the visible differences between models1. Proposals to remove lower performing products from the market would narrow the range of models available, and interoperability measures address the difficulty of mixing components from different manufacturers in one system1. For a household, the practical link between these rules and energy independence runs through how much energy a given heater needs to deliver a given amount of warmth, and how clearly that is disclosed before purchase. The consultation documents do not set out per-household cost or savings figures, and no such figures have been reported1.
What happens next
The consultation closed at 11:59pm on 25 March 20251. DESNZ states on the consultation page that it is analysing feedback and that the outcome will be available to download from the same page1. No date for publication of the government response has been reported1.