As part of the government’s Net Zero strategy, it has announced new gas boilers will not be fitted to properties after 2035. This gives householders with mains gas another 12 years to consider how they will deal with the changeover.

But what about houses that don’t have mains gas, “off grid” as they have been dubbed? These will be properties in mainly rural areas, like ours, that rely on oil or liquid gas as their heat source.

In a consultation paper* published in October 2021, the government has proposed that off grid homes, of which there are around 4 million, will not be able to replace their oil boilers after 2026, 9 years earlier than their mains gas equivalent.
The government also stated no one will be forced to give up their current oil boiler which, all the time it functions properly, can be retained.

But what does all this mean in practise for our rural homes? Assuming the government sticks to its proposed timetable, householders will not be able to replace worn or broken-down oil boilers after 2026. As hydrogen has yet to be proven as a viable alternative, it would seem air-source heat pumps are, currently, the only available alternative. The installation cost to retro-fit a heat pump may cost more than the pump itself. Costs of around £15,000 to £30,000 have been estimated (source: Liquid Gas UK).

The government’s own estimates are between £12,000 to £24,000 and as a help with this, they’ve put in place a grant scheme. Through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, you could get a grant to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with a heat pump or biomass boiler. As a reminder – fossil fuel heating systems include oil, gas or electric.
To find out more, visit https://www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-scheme.

Your Parish Council has taken this matter up with our MP (Simon Hoare) and via him, received a response from the Department for Energy and Net Zero to concerns raised about looming costs for rural dwellers. Key points from this response were:

• No one would be forced to install an “unsuitable heating system” to their home or business.
• By introducing what is called a “Clean Heat Market Mechanism” in 2024, introducing tax incentives plus an overall investment of £6.6 billion on improving energy efficiency, the government will stimulate the heat pump market and seek to have 600,000 installations by 2028. This should produce economies of scale and reduce the current cost of heat pumps.
• The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is mentioned. This could provide grants of £5,000 for an air source heat pump; £6,000 towards a ground source heat pump or £5,000 towards a biomass boiler.

*The government has not yet commented on the responses received to its consultation paper.

Your Parish Council has also started a wider conversation with other Dorset councils and will continue to monitor the situation.

* https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/phasing-out-fossil-fuel-heating-in-homes-off-the-gas-grid

August 2023