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Gas boilers are written on the wall; from 2025, they will be completely off-limits to new builds.An exact date for their phase-out from existing homes has yet to be set, but when it comes to buying a new gas boiler to replace an old one, it would be a simply not viable option.
However, this is still a long way off.So, given that the typical lifespan of most gas boilers is 10 to 15 years, a similar replacement is still an option for most people the next time they need a new boiler.
But as the transition to net zero is underway, more of us will be looking at more sustainable alternatives sooner rather than later.In some cases, your next boiler replacement isn’t even a boiler at all.
Read on to learn more about options that are available now or may be developed in the next decade.We explain how they work, the pros and cons of each, and the type of home they are best suited for.
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According to the government’s heating and building strategy, it expects heat pumps to play an important role in future heating in the UK.
When installed in a well-insulated home, heat pumps can operate very efficiently and use very little electricity.They can also be installed in poorly insulated homes, but you’ll likely need larger radiators and more powerful heat pumps, which may cost more to run.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, the cost of buying and installing a heat pump typically ranges from £7,000 to £13,000 for an air source heat pump and £14,000 to £19,000 for a ground source heat pump.That’s significantly more expensive than gas boilers, but grants will soon be available to help keep costs down (see below), and they’re a greener way to heat your home than traditional gas boilers.
A heat pump works on the same principle as a refrigerator.They take heat from the ground or the air and use compressors to raise it to higher temperatures.
This heat is delivered by an electric pump to your radiator or other heat emitter (such as underfloor heating) to warm your home.
The two main types are ground source heat pumps, which get heat from the ground, and air source heat pumps, which get heat from the air.
Air source heat pumps tend to be cheaper and less disruptive to install.On the other hand, ground source heat pumps tend to be more efficient throughout the year because the ground temperature is more consistent.
If you’re considering a heat pump, you should have your home evaluated by an MCS-certified (Micro-Generation Certification Program) installer before doing anything.However, as a rule of thumb, a heat pump is more suitable if:
The high up-front cost can make many people reluctant to install a heat pump, especially in a home with a well-functioning existing heating system.
However, a new government grant called the Boiler Upgrade Scheme means households in England and Wales can receive vouchers worth up to £5,000 for air source heat pumps, or £6,000 for ground source heat pumps.
For example, this reduces the cost of installing an air source heat pump from £10,000 to £5,000.Your MCS Certified Installer must apply for a grant certificate on your behalf.
The scheme is expected to launch later this year with a budget of £450m over three years.That’s only enough for about 90,000 households in total, so it’s likely to run out soon.
This grant is for well-insulated homes: you will need a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), attic or cavity wall insulation is not recommended.
If you live in Scotland, you can get a loan of £2,500 plus up to £7,500 in cashback to install a heat pump through Home Energy Scotland.
The price of heat pumps is expected to drop over the next few years, but if your boiler needs to be replaced, these grants can make heat pumps a more affordable and sustainable option now.
For more details on how heat pumps work, and if your home is right for you, visit our expert guides to ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps
Electric boilers are similar in size to gas boilers (or sometimes smaller), and the cost of buying and installing the boiler itself can be comparable (it usually costs around £2,500 to install a new combination boiler).
If you want to reduce your carbon footprint as quickly as possible, and heat pumps are currently not feasible, electric boilers may be more environmentally friendly than traditional gas boilers.
Electric boilers work by passing electricity through a heating element to heat water, rather than burning gas.They basically function like a big kettle (though they don’t boil water!)
As with gas boilers, you can choose between a heat-only or system boiler (which requires a tank to store hot water) or a combination boiler (which heats hot water on demand).
However, the maximum power output of electric boilers is usually lower than that of gas boilers, and your home may require expensive electrical upgrades to cope with the increased demand on electricity supply from electric boilers.These factors mean they are not suitable for every home.
Before considering a replacement, have your home evaluated by a qualified engineer with an electric boiler.
When choosing the best heating system for your home, you should always seek the advice of a trusted local engineer, but generally speaking, an electric boiler is more likely to be considered if:
While all homes will eventually transition to low-carbon heating systems, for many alternatives are currently impractical, too expensive or still in the early stages of development.
But sticking with gas or oil boilers for the next round doesn’t mean you can’t improve your home’s carbon footprint — if an old, inefficient boiler pushes your heating bills higher than you need, here’s the thing Saving money in the process is.
The current Boiler Plus regulations mean that all gas boilers sold in England are at least Class A efficiency (meaning they are at least 92% efficient).
While this rule doesn’t apply to Wales, Scotland or Ireland, you should still opt for a Class A boiler – keeping your heating efficiency and costs as low as possible.
Having said that, all modern boilers are basically equally efficient, so your first priority should be choosing the right boiler size for your home.
Too small (in terms of power output) and it won’t make your home good enough; too big and you’ll use more energy than you need.
A good heating engineer will be able to recommend the best size boiler for your home.Which to go to?Trusted traders can find reliable local engineers or plumbers.
There is an old saying: don’t fix it if it’s not broken.But even if an old boiler is still running slowly, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth replacing.
If you haven’t had a new boiler since 2005, or if the flue on your boiler isn’t made of plastic, there’s a good chance it’s an inefficient “non-condensing” boiler.
All modern boilers are “condensing”, which means they recover some of the heat wasted by non-condensing boilers to heat the water returned from the central heating system.
Condensing boilers are typically 25% more energy efficient than older non-condensing boilers, thus meaning lower heating bills and lower carbon emissions.
In fact, switching from an old boiler to a new Class A condensing boiler with a programmer, thermostat and thermostatic radiator valve can save you between £50 and £365 a year on your heating bills (Energy Savings Trust, November 2021).
Buy a new boiler from a Best Buy brand to ensure it’s reliable and works efficiently for years to come – read our Best Buy boiler reviews
Hydrogen boilers have been getting a lot of attention lately, although they haven’t actually been bought yet.
The government has yet to decide how much hydrogen will play a role in the UK’s future heating (a decision will be made in 2026), but it is expected that so-called “hydrogen-ready boilers” could start appearing on the market in a few years.Hydrogen-ready boilers can cope with being powered by conventional methane gas or hydrogen, so when hydrogen is available as a fuel, this would be a good choice.
While the cost is still a relatively unknown amount, if demand for hydrogen boilers is high, it is expected that purchase and installation costs will be comparable to gas boilers.
Hydrogen boilers work almost exactly like traditional gas boilers; they just burn hydrogen instead of natural gas.Unlike natural gas, burning hydrogen produces no carbon emissions – although the production of hydrogen itself is not always carbon-free, as we explain in the disadvantages of hydrogen boilers below.
A hydrogen-ready boiler can run on natural gas until switching to hydrogen, at which point engineers will perform a small service to switch the boiler to 100% hydrogen operation.
For more information on hydrogen heating, visit our expert guide to hydrogen boilers
In addition to heat pumps, the government’s heating and building strategy foresees that heating networks will play an important role in heating UK homes in the future, especially in certain areas.