In a move to push for next zero, the Scotish government have proposed an SNP boiler ban. The legislation would forbit heating systems which produce ‘more than a negligible level of greenhouse gas emissions’. The ban would come cover all new residential and commercial buildings.
The minister for zero carbon buildings (and Green Party member) Patrick Harvie said, ‘along with transport, heating Scotland’s homes and buildings is one of the biggest contributions to our carbon emissions and we know that we have to take told action to meet our climate obligations.
These regulations mean that homeowners will no longer be able to install direct heating systems – like gas boilers – in new homes and non-domestic buildings.
The Scottish government has plumped for 2024 for the SNP boiler ban. The UK Government has said that is wishes to ban gas boilers from new homes from 2025. This proposed legislation has yet to be signed into law. But it is clear that the direction of travel will be towards renewable and energy efficient heating systems. At WeLoveHeatPumps we are increasing seeing new housing schemes ditch gas boilers in favour of air source heat pumps. In rare cases we are also seeing ground source heat pumps installed. You can read more about air source vs ground source in our in depth article.
This is mirrored across the UK housing stock as a whole, including older houses. The UK Government have a target to increase the number of heat pump installations (across all properties) from 55,000 a year in 2021 to 600,000 a year by 2028.
Air source heat pumps are up to 5x more efficient than traditional gas boilers. Although they are generally more expensive to install, there is help with the outlay via a number of UK Government grants. The investment will generally pay off after a few years with lower monthly bills.