Ed Miliband confirms no plans for 2035 ban on gas boilers in homes

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has confirmed that the Government doesn't plan to impose a future ban on gas boilers, highlighting concern over the potential financial impact on consumers.

Speaking at the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee on Wednesday, Mr Miliband expressed he is "wary" of banning gas boilers by a set date without ensuring greener alternatives are more affordable.

Gas heating contributes significantly to the UK's carbon emissions, and the previous Conservative administration had proposed halting the sale of new gas boilers by 2035, encouraging households to switch to cleaner heating options like heat pumps by then. Former PM Rishi Sunak faced backlash from scientists, campaigners, and MPs in 2023 for retreating on several net-zero commitments, including diluting the planned boiler ban to an 80% reduction by 2035.

Last week, reports indicated that the new Government discarded the proposed 2035 gas boiler prohibition in new housebuilding regulations. When questioned about this reversal by MPs, Mr Miliband informed the committee that there was never a Labour intention to enact such a ban, clarifying, "There isn’t going to be a ban because Rishi Sunak... well, they never legislated for the ban and then he said he wasn’t going to do it. The answer is that we said in our manifesto that we weren’t going to force anyone to rip out their gas boiler."

The Energy Secretary expressed caution regarding the transition from gas boilers to heat pumps, highlighting the importance of affordability for consumers: "I’m very cautious on these questions because we can say to people: ‘You need to get a heat pump, not a gas boiler, potentially at some point in the future’ but I’m very wary that we’re going to stop people having gas boilers at a point when we can’t guarantee that heat pumps are going to be cheaper for people."

He also noted that Labour had intentionally not committed to reversing Mr Sunak’s decision to backtrack on boiler ban plans, stating: "We did that deliberately because my bottom line is that we proceed in a way that means we can say to people: ‘You’re going to be better off in making this transition’," Mr Miliband explained. "I do not want to be in a position where I say to people: ‘You must go down this road’ and then people say to me rightly: ‘Look, you’re going to make me worse off’. So that’s our position on that."

Additionally, he mentioned that the Government's forthcoming future homes standards will set minimum energy efficiency criteria, which could preclude the installation of gas boilers in new properties.

When asked about a potential mandatory ban on fossil fuel heating in new homes, Mr Miliband deferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, indicating they would be "coming forward with proposals".

He remarked: "The thing I would say about this is that there are massive advantages for us from the outset ensuring that homes are built to a low-carbon spec."

Mr Miliband also noted, "And I think there’s enthusiasm for this among the housebuilders and others," referencing a firm collaborating with housebuilders to ensure zero bills homes for a decade as a "massively exciting concept". He concluded, "That’s turning the prospect of zero carbon into a consumer benefit and that’s what we’re about."

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