The Gas Boiler Ban 2035: What’s Changed?
We found no gas boiler ban for existing homes, in any part of the UK. If your gas or combi boiler breaks, you can still replace it with a new gas boiler.
What has changed is the rules for new homes. From 2027, new homes in England and Wales come under tougher energy rules, and since 2024 Scotland has stopped gas and oil being the main heating in new buildings. The 2035 date you will see everywhere is a government expectation that most replacement heating will be low-carbon by then. It is not a ban.
Article updated: October 2026
Timeline of the Gas Boiler Ban
The plans have moved a lot since 2021, and only some became law. These are the dates that matter, by nation and status:
- 2021, England (historical proposal): the Heat and Buildings Strategy set an ambition to phase out new natural gas boilers from 2035. It expected the Future Homes Standard for new homes by 2025, and consulted on ending high-carbon fossil fuel heating in English homes off the gas grid from 2026.
- September 2023, England (historical announcement): the then Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, moved the off-grid date from 2026 to 2035. The government's response to the Climate Change Committee set out the revised aim for homes in England, including those off the gas grid. Neither date became law.
- 1 April 2024, Scotland (in force): the New Build Heat Standard started for new buildings and some conversions.
- February 2026, UK government (expectation): a written answer in Parliament restated "the government's expectation that the vast majority of heating system replacements will be low-carbon by 2035".
- 4 March 2027, Wales (legislated): new energy rules for buildings in Wales come into force.
- 24 March 2027, England (legislated): the Future Homes Standard comes into force for new homes under the 2026 building regulations. Some rules for higher-risk buildings start later, on 24 September 2027.
- 1 October 2030, England and Wales (announced): the planned date for a higher energy standard in privately rented homes. It still needs legislation.
- 2035, UK government (expectation): most replacement heating systems are expected to be low-carbon. There is no law behind this date.
So the 2025 date people still ask about was an English new-home target that never became law. Existing homes can still have a gas boiler fitted as a replacement, with no ban in the sources we checked, and new homes in England move to heat pumps or heat networks under the 2027 standard, the government's factsheet says.
Rishi Sunak used the 2035 date in his net zero speech in September 2023, when he was Prime Minister:
We'll never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump. You'll only ever have to make the switch when you're replacing your boiler anyway, and even then, not until 2035.
That plan never became law, and the current government calls 2035 an expectation. New homes are where the real rules are, and they differ in each nation.
In England, new homes built to the Future Homes Standard need low-carbon heating, such as a heat pump or a heat network connection, plus solar panels in most cases. The government's heat and buildings factsheet says gas boilers will not meet the standard. As the electricity grid gets cleaner, these homes become zero carbon homes in day-to-day use without refitting, according to Building Circular 01/2026.
The 2026 building regulations for England start on 24 March 2027. Ordinary buildings get a transition. If a building notice, an initial notice or a full plans application went in before 24 March 2027, and that building has legally started before 24 March 2028, it can still be built to the old rules. For a typical house, legally started means its foundations and ground floor are done.
Wales has its own date. The Welsh energy changes start on 4 March 2027, and work notified before then can follow the old rules if it starts within 12 months, according to the Welsh Government circular.
Scotland got there first. The New Build Heat Standard covers new buildings and some conversions where the building warrant was applied for on or after 1 April 2024. Since 1 January 2025 the rule covers only the main heating, so a secondary heater such as a stove is allowed, and so is bioenergy such as wood. It doesn't cover replacing a boiler in an older home.
In Northern Ireland, we found no equivalent date for new homes or for replacements in the sources we checked. The nidirect heating advice still covers gas and oil boilers as normal choices.
What is the Gas Boiler Ban and Why Is It Happening?
"The gas boiler ban" is a nickname for several separate policies: the new-home rules above, the 2035 expectation, and plans that were later dropped or delayed.
The reason behind all of them is carbon. The UK has a legally binding target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, set in the Climate Change Act. The latest emissions statistics name gas used for heating and cooking as the main source of emissions from homes, and that is the part these heating policies are aimed at.
The current Warm Homes Plan puts "consumer choice" at its heart and relies on grants and low- and zero-interest loans.
Impact on Homeowners and Landlords
For most homeowners and landlords, little changes today, but four things matter:
- Gas safety checks: landlords in England, Wales and Scotland must have a gas safety check done every year on each gas appliance and flue they provide, under HSE gas safety guidance. Northern Ireland has its own version: nidirect's gas safety guidance also sets out an annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- The current EPC minimum: in England and Wales, private rented homes covered by the rules need an EPC rating of at least E. Landlords aren't currently required to spend more than £3,500 including VAT trying to reach it, under the minimum energy efficiency standard, and there are registered exemptions.
- A higher standard on the way: the government has announced a single compliance date of 1 October 2030 for a higher standard in private rented homes in England and Wales. Its January 2026 response sets the standard at EPC C or equivalent, and on the reformed EPCs it plans, a home's heating system can count towards meeting it. An EPC C obtained before 1 October 2029 would count until it expires or is replaced, and the spending cap would rise to £10,000. It is announced, not law.
- New-build purchases: in England and Scotland, a new home built under the new rules won't have a gas boiler as its main heating.
None of these rules on their own require a heat pump. The rules that bite for landlords today are about the EPC rating for rented properties, which looks at the whole home, not just the boiler. Scotland's October 2026 progress report says its own rented-home standards are still being worked out.
In my experience, owning a property for many years means planning for periodic refurbishment, not just repairs. Replacing the heating, whatever fuel it runs on, is part of that refurbishment. It belongs in the sums when you ask "is buy-to-let still worth it" about a property.
Government Grants and Financial Support: Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives a grant of up to £7,500 towards a heat pump, or £9,000 for some homes off the gas grid, and it only covers England and Wales. These are the amounts in the government's notice of grant values from 21 July 2026, with conditions from the eligibility rules on GOV.UK and Ofgem's guidance for property owners:
| Heating system | Grant | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Air-to-water heat pump | £7,500 | Replacing fossil fuel heating, or electric heating that isn't a heat pump |
| Ground source heat pump | £7,500 | Replacing fossil fuel heating, or electric heating that isn't a heat pump |
| Air-to-air heat pump | £2,500 | Residential properties only |
| Biomass boiler | £5,000 | Off the gas grid, rural, and with an emissions certificate |
| Air-to-water or ground source heat pump replacing oil or LPG, off the gas grid | £9,000 | Applications made from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 |
The £9,000 is a total, not an extra amount. For that grant, Ofgem counts a home as off the gas grid only if it has no mains gas and no record of a gas meter point. A capped meter still counts as mains gas. The home also can't be on a heat network or be a new build, and a self-build can't get the £9,000 either.
Landlords are eligible. The GOV.UK rules cover owners of "a business, a second home, or a property you rent out to tenants". GOV.UK excludes most new builds, social housing, and homes that have already had government funding for a heat pump or a biomass boiler. A self-build can still qualify for the £7,500 grant if it meets the scheme's self-build rules.
You don't apply yourself. An MCS certified installer applies to Ofgem with your consent and takes the grant off your quote. Under the Warm Homes Plan, funding is set aside to 2029/30, but no individual home is certain to get a grant.
Gas Boiler Alternatives
The main alternatives to a gas boiler are heat pumps and heat networks, and hydrogen is still unproven for homes. In new homes in England, the Future Homes Standard points to heat pumps and heat networks. In existing homes, the choice is yours.
- Heat pumps: these take heat from the outside air or the ground and move it indoors. Air-to-water and ground source pumps feed radiators and hot water. The Warm Homes Plan says air-to-air pumps can heat or cool a home. It also says heat pumps are around three times as efficient as gas boilers. Bills and installed costs vary by home, tariff and installation, and we found no single figure that holds across homes.
- Heat networks: one central heat source serves many homes through pipes. New homes in England can connect to one to meet the Future Homes Standard.
- Infrared panels: these give out part of their heat as radiation that warms surfaces and people, and they warm the air too. Government-funded infrared heating research from 2025 found little real-world evidence on how well they work in homes. It found that comfort depends heavily on being in line of sight of the panel, and it did not settle whether they save energy.
- Hydrogen boilers: the government's hydrogen heating overview says hydrogen "is not yet a proven technology for home heating" and that any role "would come later and likely be limited". The government plans to consult further. We found no final decision either way.
Two hydrogen terms get mixed up. A "hydrogen-ready" boiler, in the government's Energy Technology List definition, runs on natural gas and can later be converted to 100% hydrogen. That is different from the December 2023 decision to support blending up to 20% hydrogen into Great Britain's gas networks. Trials have taken place, but blending into the gas supplied to homes has not been rolled out, and that would need more safety work and a later government decision. A blend still leaves ordinary gas boilers burning mostly natural gas.
The plan to require hydrogen-ready boilers has not happened either. The boiler standards consultation outcome said the government would only require them if hydrogen is given a substantial role in heating, and then only from 2030.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I put in a new boiler now?
In an existing home you can. The government's February 2026 written answer describes 2035 as an expectation, and the sources we checked contain no ban on fitting a new gas boiler, including a gas combi boiler. What matters is the age and condition of the old boiler, the quotes you get, whether the home suits a heat pump, and, in England and Wales, whether a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant applies. A newer, more efficient boiler can sometimes improve an EPC rating, depending on how the rest of the home is assessed.
Will I be forced to replace my working gas boiler after 2035?
No ban or low-carbon rule we found requires anyone to remove a safe, working gas boiler, and no replacement deadline is attached to 2035. The current government expects "the vast majority of heating system replacements" to be low-carbon by 2035, according to its February 2026 written answer. Safety rules still apply. In Great Britain, HSE guidance says a landlord's appliance that may be unsafe stays out of use until it's fixed, and Northern Ireland has its own gas safety rules. Nobody can say for certain what a future government will legislate.
How will this affect property values?
We found no evidence in the sources we checked that low-carbon heating adds a set amount to a property's value. Some lenders offer lower mortgage rates on homes with high EPC ratings. NatWest, for example, offers discounted green mortgages, including buy-to-let, on selected products for homes rated A or B. That depends on the home's rating, not on the heating system alone.
What about off-grid properties?
We found no legal deadline for replacing an oil or LPG boiler in an existing home. The proposal to end new oil and LPG boilers in off-grid English homes from 2026 was moved to 2035. That move was announced in September 2023 and set out in the government's 2023 response to the Climate Change Committee. The proposal never became law. Off-grid homes in England and Wales that switch can get £9,000 towards an air-to-water or ground source heat pump that replaces oil or LPG, for applications made by 31 March 2027, under Ofgem's guidance.
Are there any exemptions to the new rules?
With no ban on replacing boilers in force, there are no ban exemptions to apply for. In his 2023 net zero speech, Rishi Sunak announced an exemption for households "for whom this will be hardest", but that was tied to a 2035 plan that was never made law. The rules that do exist have their own exemptions. Landlords in England and Wales can register exemptions from the EPC minimum, new buildings in England and Wales have transition periods, and Scotland's new-build standard allows bioenergy.
Replacing a Gas Boiler: Rules and Dates
If your boiler is due for replacement, we found no ban on a like-for-like gas boiler. In Wales, building guidance from March 2027 expects a same-fuel replacement to be at least as efficient as the old one. A heat pump is also an option, and in England and Wales a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant can bring the cost down.
For new homes, the dates are set in law: 4 March 2027 in Wales and 24 March 2027 in England, with Scotland's standard already running. For landlords, the next announced change is the 1 October 2030 rented-home standard, which covers private rented homes in England and Wales and still needs legislation.
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