The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published a consultation on 25 March 2026 seeking views on proposed updates to the ecodesign regulations for local space heating products in Great Britain1. The consultation opened at 3pm on 25 March 2026 and closes at 11:59pm on 20 May 20261.
The stated aim is to replace the current regulations, 2015/1188, with new standards aligned with European Union Regulation (EU) 2024/11031. The department lists three objectives for the change: to improve product efficiency, to reduce energy demand and cut bills, and to support a circular economy1.
"This consultation seeks views on proposed updates to the ecodesign regulations for local space heating products in Great Britain (GB)."
Three documents accompany the consultation: a 66-page consultation document, a 42-page options assessment titled "Updating minimum energy performance standard for local space heaters", and a 47-page draft statutory instrument, "The Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products (Local Space Heaters and Separate Related Controls) Regulations 2026"1. Accessible webpage versions of the consultation document and the options assessment are also published, and the department invites requests for alternative formats by email1.
The consultation page now carries the status "Closed" and states that feedback is being analysed, with the outcome to be published on the same page1. No date for publication of the outcome has been given1. The page does not set out which specific products fall within scope, what minimum performance levels are proposed, or what the draft regulations would require of manufacturers, and none of this has been reported in the material published alongside the consultation1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Consultation opened | 3pm, 25 March 2026 |
| Consultation closed | 11:59pm, 20 May 2026 |
| Current regulations | 2015/1188 |
| Proposed alignment | EU Regulation (EU) 2024/1103 |
| Draft instrument | Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products (Local Space Heaters and Separate Related Controls) Regulations 2026 |
Why it matters for households
Local space heaters are the appliances used to heat a single room rather than a whole home, and ecodesign rules set the minimum performance they must meet to be sold. For a household, the practical effect of any change runs through what is available to buy and how much energy a given appliance uses to deliver a given amount of heat. The department's stated aims of improving product efficiency and reducing energy demand and bills point in that direction, though the consultation documents do not quantify the expected effect on household bills1.
For a home's energy independence, the relevance is in how much delivered heat a household gets per unit of energy paid for, and in how long an appliance can be kept in use and repaired rather than replaced. The reference to a circular economy sits alongside the efficiency aims in the consultation description, but the published summary does not explain what circular-economy measures are proposed1. The wider framework of standards and consultations is set out in the site's guide to UK home energy regulation and policy, and the process by which proposals of this kind become rules is covered in energy consultations: how rules are proposed, decided and changed.
What happens next
The consultation has closed and the department says it is analysing the feedback, with the outcome to be downloaded from the consultation page1. No publication date for the outcome, and no date for the draft 2026 Regulations to be laid or to come into force, has been reported1.