Ministers urged to ban gas grid connections in new homes

Ministers have been urged to ban the gas grid connections in new homes in an open letter signed by a broad coalition of organisations including energy companies, trade bodies, financial institutions and architects.

The missive addressed to housing minister Rachel Maclean, as well as levelling up secretary Michael Gove and energy secretary Grant Shapps, says it is “critically important” that the Future Homes Standard due to come into effect in 2025 does not allow new homes to be connected to the gas grid.

The letter says there is a risk that allowing ‘hydrogen-ready’ gas boilers under the Future Homes Standard could “create a loophole, which would allow new homes to be connected to the gas grid and burn fossil fuels for year to come. 100% hydrogen for heating is not yet a tried and tested technology, and unlikely to be available for decades – and even then, unlikely to be economic as a nationwide solution for domestic heat decarbonisation.”

It says hydrogen will be essential for decarbonising sector such as power and aviation but will have a limited role in domestic heating. “Allowing hydrogen-ready boilers and new connections to the gas grid could lock new home owners into polluting fossil fuels, and put them at risk of costly retrofits in the likely case that the domestic gas grid is never fully converted to green hydrogen,” it adds.

By contrast, the letter says heat pumps are an established technology, with more than 190 million already installed worldwide, including roughly 59 million in Europe.

Whilst the UK has a target of installing 600,000 per year by 2028, the letter says the country’s nascent heat pump market is lagging behind the rest of Europe, with only 40,000 installed in 2022.

It continues: “The new build market will be key for decarbonising heat and getting on track for energy security and climate targets. Clear policy signals through the Future Homes Standard are vital to spur private investment, boosting British manufacturing and skills by providing the clean heat market confidence to grow supply chains.”

The letter was organised by the environmental think tank E3G. The signatories include:

• Energy UK
• Eon
• Octopus
• Good Energy
• Regen
• Ground Source Heat Pump Association
• Kensa
• Thermal Storage UK
• Airlines UK
• Nationwide Building Society
• Abundance Investment
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
• Chartered Institute of Housing
• UK Green Building Council
• End Fuel Poverty Coalition
• Friends of the Earth
• Green Alliance
• Greenpeace UK
• WWF UK

The Future Homes Standard is being introduced to make new homes compatible with the UK’s 2050 net zero target. It will seek to ensure that new homes built from 2025 onwards produce 75-80% less carbon emissions when compared to homes built under the old regulations by requiring high levels of energy efficiency and low-carbon heating.

As such, the proposed standard includes a ban on the installation fossil fuel heating systems such as natural gas boilers. The government introduced interim uplifts to the existing building regulations in 2021.