The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) published an updated map of European fossil fuel boiler bans on 10 November 2025, replacing a version from January 20241. The trade body tracks bans on gas and oil boilers separately, and distinguishes between bans in new buildings and in existing buildings1.
The main changes since the earlier version concern three countries. Austria has now put in place a ban on all fossil fuel boilers, having previously covered only gas1. Ireland has broadened its ban to residential homes and to gas boilers in new buildings1. The UK is likely to end fossil fuel boilers in new buildings from 20261. EHPA also notes that in other countries, bans previously announced have now come into place1.
The association sets out the EU framework behind the national measures. EU law says Member States should plan for a complete phase-out of fossil fuel boilers by 20401. It adds that since the start of 2025, EU governments may no longer subsidise or incentivise the sale of stand-alone fossil fuel boilers1. The EU is also tightening its rules on energy efficient product design, which EHPA says will push fossil fuel boilers out of the market, starting with the least efficient ones1.
"So what are the main differences between the previous version, from January 2024, and the map of November 2025"
EHPA gives one market figure alongside the policy tracking: heat pumps represented around 28% of space heating appliance sales last year1.
| Country | Change reported since January 2024 |
|---|---|
| Austria | Ban now covers all fossil fuel boilers, previously gas only1 |
| Ireland | Ban broadened to residential homes and to gas boilers in new buildings1 |
| UK | Likely to end fossil fuel boilers in new buildings from 20261 |
Why it matters for households
The map is a tracker of rules that decide what can be installed in a home, and when. For a UK householder, the entry that bears most directly on a property is the expectation that fossil fuel boilers will end in new buildings from 20261. That is a statement of likelihood rather than a confirmed commencement, and the source does not set out the detailed scope, exemptions or enforcement. Households in existing buildings are not covered by that particular measure as described1.
The wider direction of travel is set at EU level, where the stated aim is a complete phase-out of fossil fuel boilers by 2040 and where subsidies for stand-alone fossil fuel boilers have been closed off since the start of 20251. Those provisions apply to EU Member States, not to the UK. The practical effect for a home is that the range of appliances available, the support available for them, and the rules on what may be fitted in a new property are all moving in the same direction across much of Europe. The rules on replacing an existing gas boiler and the position on a UK gas boiler ban sit within that wider picture, as does the relationship between regulation and energy independence at home.
What happens next
The source gives one dated step: the UK is likely to end fossil fuel boilers in new buildings from 20261. No further timetable, consultation or legislative detail is set out in the source, and no dates are given for the Austrian or Irish measures beyond their inclusion in the November 2025 version1.