Set date to bansaleof gas boilers, urge MPs

THE GOVERNMENT should set a clear date in law for banning the sale of new gas boilers as part of efforts to cut emissions from houses, MPs have urged.

Some 29 million homes in the UK need retrofitting with low carbon heating systems along with energy efficiency measures such as insulation, as part of efforts to cut climate pollution to zero overall by 2050.

But MPs on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) Committee said the Government’s approach to cutting carbon from homes lacks clear direction and current policies are not of the scale needed.

The committee’s chairman, Darren Jones, said replacing gas boilers, the major source of pollution from homes, was “a huge task and we are not making near enough progress”.

In a report, the committee urges the Government to create a public awareness campaign to explain to the public how their heating systems will change and the potential costs and benefits of the shift.

Mr Jones said: “Bill payers today are deeply worried about their energy costs, with many people struggling to afford to heat their homes.

“The Government and energy companies should explain to bill payers why switching away from gas and insulating our homes is not only important in tackling climate change, but also a route to reducing energy bills.

“The Government also needs to spell out what financial help will be put in place for those who need it most.”

Meeting climate targets will require a ban on the installation and use of gas boilers in existing properties by the mid-2030s at the latest, and the Government should adopt a clear, specific enddate, regulating through legislation the phase-out of gas boilers, the report said.