Gas boilers should be banned from homes to deal with the cost-of-living crisis and help the UK achieve its green ambitions, warned Tsar of Infrastructure Boris Johnson.
Sir John Armitt, chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, said ministers should repeal the mandatory ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 to apply to natural gas boilers as well. “to offer certainty to investors in greener alternatives”.
The government has so far rejected calls for a total ban on natural gas boilers, but has said it aims to phase out new facilities from 2035 “to cheaper and more efficient alternatives”.
But Sir John said the sale of all gas boilers should be completely banned by 2035, and warned that “rising gas prices” have made decarbonisation more urgent. as households struggle with the cost of living crisis.
He said: “The government cannot be cautious.
“Ministers have made bold interventions to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, showing what can be achieved.
“It is time for the government to give a similar certainty to heat decarbonisation by funding innovative projects to decarbonise 30,000 homes in the next five years and banning the sale of natural gas boilers in the UK in 2035.
“A cut-off date with necessary milestones set would provide certainty to investors in greener alternatives and give a boost to the industry to accelerate innovation which in turn will reduce start-up costs for consumers.”
Government sources insisted that Sir John’s invention did not take into account the factor that “there is no silver bullet” to wean households from natural gas. A combination of heat pumps, heat pumps and hydrogen will be needed, they said.
But investing in existing gas infrastructure is “very expensive,” the source added. “We are working with industry to reduce costs.”
The government is currently testing six pilot schemes that mix hydrogen with natural gas in a ratio of 25:75.
Other countries, however, have gone further. The Netherlands bans natural gas central heating from 2026 and includes the mandatory use of heat pumps or connected heat networks.
Writing to The Telegraph, Sir John, responsible for developing the Channel Tunnel rail link and overseeing the construction program for the London Olympics, presented the findings of the University of Energy Institute’s report. Birmingham entitled “Pathways for Local Heat Delivery”.
He said: “Unless we replace 24 million gas boilers, we will never reach zero net.
“This means that, contrary to some of the positions circulating since the invasion of Ukraine, the rise in the price of gas makes the decarbonisation of heat even more urgent, no less.
“In fact, tackling the decarbonisation of domestic heat provides a central platform through which the Government can address some of its major challenges: energy security; air quality; Health; jobs and skills; energy poverty and rising levels; the cost of living: the list is long “.
Sir John said the government’s plans for an extraordinary tax and reduce VAT to 0% on energy-saving materials over the next five years “are useful”.
He added: “But [they] It doesn’t come close to the long-term levels of ambition we need to see to address the heat problem.
“They will have a limited impact in the short term on the underlying cause of emissions, rising costs and energy insecurity: our overwhelming dependence on gas. We now have the opportunity to develop a single set of heat policies to address with a decision with all three “.
Sir John’s comments follow criticism from the Works Council, which found the government’s approach to decarbonising domestic heating lacked clear direction.
Labor MP Darren Jones, chairman of the committee, said in February that replacing natural gas boilers was “a huge task and we were not making enough progress”.
He added: “Ministers cannot put this on the market; the government should address the cost of heating our homes in the round and advance joint policies that address these issues together.”
A Business Department spokesman said: “We are encouraging those who choose to install heat pumps to reduce the cost of installation to £ 5,000 and reduce VAT to 0 pc, while working with the industry to halve the cost of each unit by 2025 “.
Commentary: Ministers should ban gas boilers to deal with the cost of living crisis
By Sir John Armitt
Global events and rising cost of living have rightly absorbed much of the bandwidth of our national policy and sparked renewed debate about our need for greater energy security. These discussions are welcome and, in many respects, long overdue, but we must ensure that they do not distract from the challenges we face and the measures we have in place to address them. .
Decarbonisation, the economy, our real estate portfolio and our infrastructure present these challenges. While many of the solutions that emerge to improve our long-term energy security would also support decarbonization, there are few quick wins. But one area that has the potential to bring us closer to both goals is to reduce the amount of gas used for home heating.
The University of Birmingham’s Energy Institute has long been a leading advocate for the urgency and efficiency needed to meet this particular challenge. His most recent report, Pathways for Local Heat Delivery, is the result of the hard work of a number of academic and industry experts who form the University’s Heat Decarbonising Commission, which I chair, and whose recommendations constitute the based on the following knowledge.
Decarbonising domestic heat is the main remaining challenge of climate policy. The progress of heat is lagging behind that of electricity and transport: heat for buildings causes 23% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Britain and heat for housing only causes 17%. As a result, we need to reduce heat emissions more in the next eight years than in the last 30 years.
The implications of this are serious: unless we replace the 24 million gas boilers, we will never reach zero net.