With all the talk of a ban on gas boilers in the UK market, it seems the alternative forms of heating are not quite ready to replace them in the near future. Many suggestions have been put forward but currently, none seems to be viable, and so gas boilers will be with us around for some time yet.
The date for a total gas boiler ban looks to have been pushed back further, from 2025 to possibly 2040 now.
If you are planning to replace that old inefficient boiler in your home, you can safely go ahead and purchase a brand new highly efficient one that will give you great service for many more years.
If you want to see what new boiler prices are check out Boiler Guide on the link below.
Why has the gas boiler ban date moved?
The alternative heating sources such as ground source and air source heat pumps are just too expensive at the moment so, even with government incentive schemes, homeowners don’t see a financial benefit in installing them in homes. Hydrogen boilers are still in development and it’s uncertain how much their introduction will cost overall.
The cost of the green revolution is getting higher, both for the government and for individuals and companies. The delay will give households more time for new heat pumps and hydrogen boilers to fall in price so they become a real alternative.
How much do heating systems cost to install?
- Gas central heating £3000
- Hydrogen boiler £5000
- Solar water heaters £5000
- Air source heat pump £11000
- Ground source heat pump £15000
- Biomass boilers £17000
How you can be efficient with gas boilers
Even though gas will eventually be phased out for home heating, a gas central heating system can be made more efficient even now to help the environment and lower energy bills.
Better home insulation
Cavity wall and loft insulation have been implemented in many homes for years now but there are other ways to reduce heat loss: Solid wall insulation for older properties, floor insulation for ground floors or any floors above unheated spaces, draught proofing around doors and windows.
Measures like these should be encouraged and incentivised by the government to benefit households now.
Correctly sized pipework for central heating system
If your pipework is sized correctly, the system has enough capacity and gives better performance. For heating systems, the ideal pipe sizes would be around 15mm and 22mm. This also means you are able to choose bigger radiators that are stylish too.
Many homes have a microbore pipe system with diameters of 8mm and 10mm. The problem with this is they can get easily blocked with sludge and other debris and from an efficiency viewpoint, the boiler will have to work harder to get heat around the system and so use more energy. The microbore pipework also requires more maintenance.
Oversized radiators
Oversized radiators take up more room on the wall and also waste more energy when heating up. It is important to get the correct size radiator for the room it is in and also consider types of room (living, bedroom, etc,) window (single or double glazed) and its area, floor level (eg. ground and whether above unheated space), and walls.
Setting the correct boiler output temperatures
Setting the combi boiler’s output temperatures efficiently will help lower energy usage and costs. By reducing the heating output temperature to 70⁰C, your room should still be a comfortable temperature. The hot water doesn’t need to go above 60⁰C.
If you’re not sure, you may want to get an engineer to do it at the next service.
Conclusion
Although the gas boiler ban has been delayed, with over 25 million gas boilers in use, taking steps to increase boiler efficiency and home insulation will help reduce carbon emissions and energy bills for households now.
More government money should be spent encouraging this until alternative heating sources become more viable so the cost isn’t passed onto the customer.
