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Government to lay out boiler plan in Energy White Paper
The UK government is set to publish its Energy White Paper today, which will lay out how the UK will transition to clean energy sources, including within homes.
Following the prime minister’s 10-point plan for a ‘green industrial revolution’, announced last month, the white paper will set out what specific steps the government will take over the next decade to cut emissions from industry, transport and buildings by 230 million metric tonnes.
This will include a move away from fossil fuel boilers, with the government saying that by the mid-2030s it will expect all newly installed heating systems to be low carbon or to be appliances that it is confident can be converted to a clean fuel supply.
The government has previously proposed that all new builds should be installed with low-carbon heating systems by 2025 as part of its Future Homes Standard consultation.
According to several national newspapers, Boris Johnson’s 10-point plan originally included the proposal that gas boilers be banned from 2023, however this commitment was removed shortly after the plan was published.
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Inside Housing has asked the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to confirm whether the white paper will push the commitment to enforce low-carbon heating systems in new builds back to the mid-2030s.
In addition to laying out the government’s plans surrounding heating systems, the white paper will confirm a £6.7bn package of measures that it said could save families in old, inefficient homes up to £400.
This includes extending the Warm Home Discount Scheme to 2026 to cover an extra 0.75 million households and giving eligible households £150 off their electricity bills each winter.
The white paper will also set out the government’s plan to generate emission-free electricity by 2050 with a trajectory that will see the UK have largely decarbonised power in the 2030s.
On today’s white paper, business and energy secretary Alok Sharma said: “Today’s plan establishes a decisive and permanent shift away from our dependence on fossil fuels, towards cleaner energy sources that will put our country at the forefront of the global green industrial revolution.
“Through a major programme of investment and reform, we are determined to both decarbonise our economy in the most cost-effective way, while creating new sunrise industries and revitalising our industrial heartlands that will support new green jobs for generations to come.
“At every step of the way, we will place affordability and fairness at the heart of our reforms – unleashing a wave of competition so consumers get the best deals possible on their bills, while protecting the vulnerable and fuel-poor with additional financial support.
“With this long-term plan, we are turning climate ambition into climate action – putting the UK firmly on the course to net zero to end our contribution to climate change as we build back greener.”
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