Ban new gas boilers from 2025 to reach net-zero

[Macky]

This was an article in the news yesterday. "The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that no new fossil fuel boilers should be sold from 2025 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century."

What are people's thoughts on this? On the face of it, it seems like blue-sky thinking with no plan or thought into the mechanics of how this could work. I'm all for reducing our emissions and believe that we do need to move away from gas boilers in the next 10-20 years. But simply banning sales of them in 2025 is going to cause a lot of financial pain to a huge number of householders. Our electricity generation and transmission infrastructure is not currently up to the job, either. So that will need updating!

Moving away from the actual logistics of making this work, have people started thinking about the potential reality of sales of boilers being banned and the impact on their homes? We are in the process of buying a home which has a ten year old boiler. I had no intention of retrofitting either electrical, air-source or ground-source heating in the time I'll be living there. I'd feel a little burnt if I were to buy a new-build house spec'd with a conventional gas boiler heating system only for it to all need changing 10 years down the line.

 

[MassiveJim]

On the face of it, it seems like blue-sky thinking with no plan or thought into the mechanics of how this could work.

I think this, they just know that alternative technology exists and assume that its a viable alternative without looking at the reality of what they are suggesting.

Other than that this could just be a case of this is how you get the ball rolling with a big change like this.
I' not too bothered to be honest, so long as there is a viable alternative out there when the time comes to replace my next boiler.

 

[Hawk Tuah]

I dread to think how much it would cost to heat my home with just electric.

Might buy a spare boiler just incase mine ever packs up.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

The alternatives are all as bad if not worse. It's like electric cars, there's a huge political drive to move to them, but when you evaluate their wider impact you're left at square one. Meanwhile we all ignore the main problem, overpopulation and our obsession with continued growth and 'beating' every other nation.

We have both a gas boiler and air-con units that can heat - I'd shudder at the cost of heating the house with the air-con units, that while ridiculously efficient, rely on electricity that would be unaffordable for many on such a scale.

 

[IceBear]

I can see it now... Boiler scalpers

Net zero by blah blah blah sounds great on paper but back on Earth, in the real world, I have no idea how I'd be able to afford to install and then run any of the current alternatives.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Seems completely impractical to me. What will my dad do when his old boiler packs up? He can't exactly move to a heat pump running at 50C flow and expect to keep his house warm. He'd have to spend £10-20k just replacing all the windows, then change the building fabric, replace all the radiators and piping etc all because he couldn't buy a new gas boiler.

I think it's crazy. And heat pumps aren't all they're made out to be.

 

[alex24]

I guess we can either obtain some kind of net-zero gas or alternative that can burn in current equipment, or move to a new technology.

I think it's a good idea, clearly burning stuff from the ground isn't a sustainable or sensible move, however it will need a lot of government help and support. If we were smart about it, we could create a new industry in the UK to support this, generating value and helping those displaced. Those who think this is a bad idea need to think bigger. We have to fix the climate problem and it won't happen by continuing what we do now or just moving the problem somewhere else or hoping electric cars and planting trees will do. It's going to take lots of little things all over the place to start to live sustainably.

At a minimum, if we are serious they should be banned in new builds and other sustainable design should be employed so that all new houses or flats can be run on renewable energy somewhat efficiently. Once again, that has to come from government. Problem we have is current government favours big business (inc. house builders) who could potentially lose out. So I doubt we'll see much change anytime soon.

 

[BigBoy]

The article refers to No New installations from 2025 not no new boiler.

New home will HAVE to have an alternative heat source from 2025, existing properties with gas installations can still have them upgraded repaired and replaced.

It will and has only ever been about new properties having alternative heat sources existing properties can still maintain and even upgrade/replace existing gas equipment.

The idea of banning New installations is to push research and development into producing alternatives that are viable. For colder climates air source heat pumps are just not quite there yet.

 

[alexakasloth]

@BigBoy I thought that too, it was in the news some months ago about new builds requiring different heating arrangements. But, the article does state this:

"The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that no new fossil fuel boilers should be sold from 2025 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century."

There is no mention to new installs, I hope they have got this wrong and are, as you say, referring purely to new installs. Otherwise I will be considering buying a spare boiler!

 

[Jokester]

My understanding is that it is the ban of new boilers full stop (it doesn’t make sense otherwise). Even banning them in 2025 will still have a substantial amount still in use for another 25-30 years.

 

[Pudney]

@BigBoy I thought that too, it was in the news some months ago about new builds requiring different heating arrangements. But, the article does state this:

"The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that no new fossil fuel boilers should be sold from 2025 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century."

There is no mention to new installs, I hope they have got this wrong and are, as you say, referring purely to new installs. Otherwise I will be considering buying a spare boiler!

If it makes you feel better the actual point made by the IEA is:

By 2025 in the NZE, any gas boilers that are sold are capable of burning 100% hydrogen and therefore are zero‐ carbon‐ready.

That's discussing the sector pathway to achieving Net Zero Emissions.

 

[d_brennen]

Hydrogen might burn clean but it's currently an energy hog to produce, store and transport. Not sure hydrogen pipes under the street are a good idea either...

 

[alexakasloth]

If it makes you feel better the actual point made by the IEA is:

That's discussing the sector pathway to achieving Net Zero Emissions.

If hydrogen is supplied to my property then that would be a good thing of course, but there is no guarantee of that currently and it is suggested by contributors in the article and one it ljnks to that only 11% of homes will be supplied.
Of course this is all speculation, however going along with the idea of a shift in 4 years time requiring any of these changes seems impractical, even if they are sadly, drastically needed.

 

[andicole0]

Without a real alternative this is a stupid idea. I saw it yesterday and could not believe what I was reading.

This. Politicians are susceptible to all sorts of crazy ideas, some of them will have a vested interest in whatever alternative is currently favourite. Catalytic controls converters spring to mind.

 

[BigBoy]

"The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that no new fossil fuel boilers should be sold from 2025 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century."

@alexakasloth
This is out of context and is actually what they requested but what was agreed upon is no new boiler installations.

It also does not stop you having an oil powered boiler as most heating oil is now biofuel or bio derived fuel. Or even a bio mass boiler system.

I work in the energy sector and this has been a hot topic for quite some time...

 

[IceBear]

Any organisation with International in the title should be viewed with suspicion.. With exception of International Rescue

 

[BUDFORCE]

I don't understand why new build developers are just not forced to put solar panels covering roofs.

I am not sure how much energy they generate to offet electric heating or if it would offset completely. But I've read recently solar panels have become much cheaper recently, and it's not like new build developers don't make enough money as it is.

 

[Jokester]

Hydrogen might burn clean but it's currently an energy hog to produce, store and transport. Not sure hydrogen pipes under the street are a good idea either...

They've been replacing the national gas grid with welded plastic pipes for years now. I would be more worried about the quality of the domestic copper braised piping joints.

Plans are already in place to start putting H2 into the gas grid in a couple of years time at low levels, it'll no doubt be increased over time to higher %s.

 

[krooton]

I dread to think how much it would cost to heat my home with just electric.

It cost more to heat a one-bed flat than it does a 3-bed detached.

 

[Flake87]

The 'green' energy issue is a complete mess and isn't going to work, because it's as usual being imposed by government diktat while they do absolutely nothing.
2.5 million new cars are sold every year move that to electric as is being imposed now 120KW per car ! time 2.5 million! That's year one, because in year two it's 5 million then 7.5 million.

On top of that we now hear of electric heating increasing the load. Solar is a complete mess because the grid doesn't know when the sun is going to shine or not, and there's a massive peak when it does, just at the time the load doesn't need it and it's gone before evening peak load come on.

For those who have the time take a watch of how the insistence of the green lobby wrecked Australias power grid leading to huge rolling blackouts which is what the UK is absolutely bound to experience in the near future too.