HOMEOWNERS face a gas boiler ban within 14 years and it could cost thousands to replace them.
Households may also be hit with “financial penalties” if they don’t replace their old gas boilers with the expensive green alternatives.
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Almost a third of the UK’s carbon emissions come from heating systems, with ministers warned this must be rapidly cut to hit their vow to make the country carbon neutral by 2050.
The government is said to be discussing a cut-off date of 2035, when the use of gas boilers in existing homes would be phased out.
It comes after reports that gas boilers will be banned in all new-build homes from 2023 – two years earlier than planned.
The Business department wants to make it mandatory for anyone replacing a conventional gas boiler or doing significant renovations to go green.
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How can I heat my home without a gas boiler?
THERE are a number of different ways to “decarbonise
One option is scrapping gas boilers and instead using a heat network that pumps hot water and air through pipes to warm homes.
Another idea is to just use electricity to warm homes.
Some households are already electricity-only, using storage heaters instead of radiators to heat their property.
Ofgem has said it could also look at different ways to making homes electric, such as by using electricity to power heat pumps.
Lastly, gas boilers could be upgraded to work with decarbonised gas, such as hydrogen.
Energy experts have told The Sun that low-carbon heat pumps and heat networks could add £5,000 to the cost of a new build.
But replacements such as eco-friendly heat pumps are typically at least £10,000.
Officials are reportedly plotting a costly assault on the wallets of those who do not comply with planned eco rules, says Bloomberg news wire.
Enforcement options “could include the threat of financial penalties for non-compliance”.
But sources insisted these would be not be direct fines, hinting instead at financial incentives to switch away from gas.
These will be at the centre of Net Zero plans to be unveiled in the coming months — despite PM Boris Johnson promising Sun readers they would not be out of pocket.
MP Steve Baker has warned that the move could spark consumer anger.
He told the Daily Mail: “The policy elite have persuaded themselves there is a consensus for net zero without anyone bothering to explain the implications to the public.
‘When people do work out the cost and impact on their lives there is going to be a huge backlash.
“If we go down the road of forcing people to replace their boiler at a cost of thousands of pounds it will make the cladding scandal look like a walk in the park.”
Octopus Energy says 17million UK homes still use gas boilers.
It said: “With over 1.5 million people replacing their boilers every year, there are huge gains to be made, but we need affordable alternatives.”
Earlier this week, Climate Change Minister Lord Callanan unveiled new powers to clamp down on landlords who do not properly insulate their properties.
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Last week, the Internal Energy Agency (IEA) said gas boilers should be banned from 2025 to help fight climate change.
While in February last year, Ofgem announced plans that mean gas boilers would have to be ditched from homes or upgraded by 2050.
Meanwhile, boiler breakdowns affect 200,000 homes each winter.
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