Government will not delay proposals to replace gas boilers with heat pumps

The Government does not plan to delay its proposals to phase out gas boilers in homes and replace them with heat pumps.

A UK Government spokesman said the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero still aims to phase out the installation of new and replacement gas boilers by 2035 at the latest.

It comes as Michael Gove hinted that plans to replace gas boilers with heat pumps in homes should be reviewed in a recent interview.

The Government plans to phase out gas boilers by 2035.

On the question of targets to install heat pumps in new homes, Gove said: ‘That is one area that I do think that we need to review … it’s important that new homes meet net zero standards but one of the challenges that we have is with our existing housing stock.’

But when asked about plans to review the proposal to replace gas boilers with heat pumps, a UK Government spokesman told This is Money: ‘We are aiming to phase out the installation of new and replacement natural gas boilers by 2035, at the latest, in line with the natural replacement cycle and once costs of low carbon alternatives have come down.

‘This includes phasing out installation of new hydrogen-ready boilers in areas not converting to hydrogen. This will ensure that all heating systems used in 2050 are compatible with net zero.

‘We will further consider the Net Zero Review’s recommendation in relation to this ambition.’

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is the Government’s flagship scheme to achieve this. In March, the scheme was extended by three years to 2028 with a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by then.

Under the scheme, the Government is currently offering households a grant of £5,000 to install an air source heat pump, or £6,000 for a ground source heat pump.