Currently the vast majority of UK homes are heated using gas boilers, but with over 20% of all the nations carbon emissions being generate by these units, could this change in the near future?
The UK Government, after all has pledged to see the country reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. For this to be possible, changes will have to be made to the home heating habits of the nation.
Despite rising gas prices, gas boilers remains as the most efficient heating source, by far, for the majority of UK homes. With the exception of the occasional breakdown and the subsequent call-out of emergency heating engineers, gas boilers serve us well and there is little better than returning to a comfy and well heated home or hot bath after a cold winters day.
However, if the UK is indeed to reach its Net Zero goals, there is no doubt that an alternative needs to be found, at least in some properties. This being said, the home heating market will only change when there is a viable alternative to the convenient and highly efficient heat that gas boilers provide.
Whilst technologies such as heat pumps do exist, they are currently pretty expensive and not as efficient as gas, and for homeowners feeling the brunt of the common cost of living crisis the sums surrounding making the switch to renewables at this moment in time simply don’t add up.
Renewable technologies are developing rapidly year after year though, and eventually the UK’s reliance on gas will change. In this article, we will look at what a world without gas heating could look like and how as a nation we can reduce our carbon footprint without compromising on affordability.
What are the keys to reducing gas usage?
There are two clear stumbling blocks to a gas free future. The first is cost. Most homes are currently set up with gas heating and it is a lot cheaper to simply replace a boiler when it comes to the end of its lifespan with one of the numerous local boiler installation companies than it is to spend a fortune installing the infrastructure for a ground source heat pump or similar.
The second is efficiency. Gas boilers heat homes quicker than any other heating system currently can and in a world where convenience is king, convincing most of the population to switch to a less efficient system could be somewhat challenging.
What about new build properties?
New builds are where the most progress is being made towards reducing the reliance of gas boilers. From 2025 onwards natural gas boilers will be banned from being installed inside new build properties, replaced instead by heat pumps or other more sustainable alternatives.
In the years to follow, more and more properties will be fitted with such technology but it is dealing with the millions of existing properties currently running on gas that is by far the biggest challenge for sustainability planners.
And existing homes?
Currently, asking homeowners to make the switch of their own accord is unrealistic, and paying for the replacement of all boilers unaffordable. It is estimated that it costs over £35,000 to convert a single home heating system from gas to heat pump or other low-carbon choice.
There are also nowhere near enough trained heat pump installers, certainly far fewer than the thousands of gas engineers operating across the nation, to manage a large scale switch and this will only chance was demand increases, leaving a sort of catch 22 situation across the industry.
What is the solution?
Currently there is no sign that there will be a significant reduction is gas home heating in the next few years. The infrastructure and incentives to switch simply don’t existing and boiler installation and boiler repair companies won’t be going out of business any time soon.
If the UK is truly to meet its obligations to reach net zero, the cost of installing technologies such as heat pumps is going to have to fall dramatically, or a huge investment will need to be made from public funds.
Alternatively, another heating source may emerge as the solution to all our environmental concerns and this is probably the best hope for a greener future. One of the best bets, may well be heating by hydrogen which produces mainly water by-products when burnt, rather than carbon dioxide.
It is also much easier to convert gas systems to hydrogen than to a heat pump as only minor alterations are required. A hybrid style system may also be possible in the short erm with hydrogen and natural gas burned together. This could help in the initial stages when supply may be limited and a instant complete switch is not possible.