Homes with gas boilers should face levies to fund low-carbon alternatives, according to a government paper.
The much-delayed Heat and Buildings Strategy, now due out next month, will conclude that gas users could face higher bills and charges as part of the move towards low-carbon solutions, such as hydrogen boilers and heat pumps.
It commits the government to addressing the fact that electricity is significantly more expensive than gas and that “price distortions” will need to be looked at in the mid-2020s to avoid consumers being penalised for moving to heat pumps and hydrogen boilers.
The strategy also includes a commitment to phasing out the installation of new gas boilers by 2035, with all new heating systems “low-carbon or low-carbon-ready” by that date. The government has committed to a target of net zero emissions by 2050.
Gas currently heats 23m homes and accounts for 15% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The paper will also commit the government to installing more than 600,000 new heat pumps annually and say that ministers will make a decision within five years on whether to try to replace parts of the existing gas grid with hydrogen or adopt a fully electric heating model.
