The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero consultation on raising product standards for space heating closed at 11:59pm on 25 March 2025, having opened at midday on 17 December 20241. The department has said it is analysing the feedback and that the outcome will be published on the consultation page1. No date for publication has been given1.
The consultation set out proposals to improve product standards by updating ecodesign and energy labelling legislation for space and combination heaters1. These included raising minimum efficiency standards for heat pumps and introducing such standards for hybrid heat pumps for the first time, alongside proposals to remove some lower performing products from the market and improve interoperability between different manufacturers' products1. 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. It also 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.
The department 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. A draft Statutory Instrument, the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Space Heaters and Temperature Controls) Regulations, and options assessments for gas boilers and for heat pumps were published alongside the consultation1. The consultation was open to anyone, with views particularly welcomed from consumers, installers, manufacturers and wider industry1. The proposals build on the previous government's Improving boiler standards and efficiency consultation and its response, published in March 20241.
Why it matters for households
The rules under discussion govern which space heating products can legally be sold in the UK and how their efficiency is measured and labelled. Minimum efficiency standards for heat pumps and hybrid heat pumps would set a floor that products must clear to reach the market, while removing lower performing products would narrow the range of models available1. A move from the current A to A+++ scale to an A to G scale would change how the familiar energy label reads, which bears on how a householder compares one appliance with another1. Changes to verification testing and recognition of testing done in other jurisdictions, such as the EU, affect how product performance claims are checked1. For a home's energy independence, the practical effect runs through the efficiency of the appliance installed and the running costs that follow from it, though the department's stated aims of lower carbon emissions and lower consumer bills are proposals rather than settled outcomes1. The consultation documents do not set out per-product figures or a timetable for any of these changes taking effect1.
What happens next
The department is analysing the responses and says the outcome will be published on the consultation page1. No publication date has been reported1.