The government launched the Alternative Clean Heating Consultation on 22 December 2025, setting out its preferred approach of switching oil heated homes to heat pumps or heat networks1. The consultation closes on 10 February 20261. Oil heated households across the UK are being urged to share their views on how their homes should be heated in the future1.
The consultation states a preferred route of moving oil heated homes to heat pumps or heat networks1. Analysis of the proposals has raised concerns that many rural households could face high upfront costs, increased running bills and significant disruption compared with their current systems1. For the first time, the government has also acknowledged that other solutions may be technically required, including the potential use of renewable liquid fuels such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)1. The fuel oil industry has proposed introducing these fuels as a blend with kerosene, enabling immediate carbon reductions in existing oil boilers without upfront cost or disruptive change, an approach it says has been demonstrated in around 150 homes over the past three years1.
Industry trade associations OFTEC and UKIFDA, which jointly ran the demonstration project, are submitting detailed evidence to the consultation1. UKIFDA, in partnership with OFTEC, has launched a consumer campaign under the Future Ready Fuel brand, titled Stand Up for the Future of Your Home Heating, which directs households to a consultation landing page where they can review the consultation and submit a pre-written response1. UKIFDA has also created a campaign toolkit of ready-to-use assets for its members1.
OFTEC CEO Paul Rose and UKIFDA CEO Ken Cronin commented:
"The Government is now preparing to make decisions over how oil heated homes will be heated in the future. We strongly believe that consumers, technicians and fuel distributors who will be directly impacted by these decisions should be able to have their say."
The same statement said the organisations had been urging the government to launch the consultation for over two years, and that it will affect the technology oil heated households use, the cost to switch and the price of fuel bills1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Consultation name | Alternative Clean Heating Consultation1 |
| Launched | 22 December 20251 |
| Closes | 10 February 20261 |
| Preferred approach | Switching oil heated homes to heat pumps or heat networks1 |
| Other solutions acknowledged | Renewable liquid fuels such as HVO may be technically required1 |
| Demonstration scale | Around 150 homes over the past three years1 |
Why it matters for households
For homes off the gas grid, the consultation concerns the equipment that provides heat, hot water and, in many cases, the ability to keep a home warm through winter. The government's stated preference would move these homes onto heat pumps or heat networks, while the industry's proposal would keep existing oil boilers running on a kerosene blend1. The two routes differ in what a household would have to change, what it would pay upfront and what it would pay to run, and the trade bodies say the proposals as analysed could mean high upfront costs, higher running bills and significant disruption for many rural households1. The consultation also touches the rules coming for heat pumps and the wider question of home heating and energy independence, since the choice determines what fuel a household depends on and who supplies it. Northern Ireland has a particularly high share of oil heated homes, and the outcome will bear directly on how Northern Ireland homes are heated. The consultation is an example of how energy rules are proposed, decided and changed.
What happens next
The consultation closes on 10 February 20261. OFTEC and UKIFDA are submitting evidence before that date, and their campaign directs households to a page where a pre-written response can be submitted1. No decision date or implementation timetable has been reported1.