Friday 24 July 2020
‘Installation of new gas boilers should be banned from 2025 to help the UK meet its net zero goal’
The installation of new gas boilers should be banned from 2025 if the UK doesn't want to miss its climate targets.
That's according to a report by a commission led by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the University of Birmingham, which suggests the government should mandate that after 2025, all new domestic boiler installations must be hybrid or hydrogen-ready.
The commission also suggests the government should create a low carbon heating obligation to stimulate the demand for air source or ground source heat pumps, hydrogen boilers or heat networks.
The group recommends all new heating installations need to be zero-carbon by 2035, to help ensure the UK is on track to meet net zero emissions by 2050, and calls on the government to increase the funding available for heat networks and encourage the use of waste and industrial heat.
It notes all new waste-to-energy plants and waste heat-producing industries should be required to use waste heat to feed into heat networks where the location permits.
The commission also advises the government to establish an ‘Olympics-style’ delivery body to lead the development and implementation of a national heat decarbonisation strategy.
CBI President and Heat Commission Chair, Lord Karan Bilimoria said: “A green recovery and progress towards the UK’s net zero emission target are doomed to fail if we don’t address the urgent need to decarbonise the heat in our homes and buildings."
Martin Freer, Professor at the University of Birmingham, said: "Delivering decarbonisation of heating is the biggest energy challenge we face in getting to net zero. Unlike electricity, which can be changed at a systems level, it requires over 20 million households to adopt new energy efficiency measures and new ways of generating heat."
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