Phase-out of fossil fuel boilers

The phase-out of fossil fuel boilers is a set of policies to remove the use of fossil gas (or "natural gas") and other fossil fuels from the heating of buildings and use in appliances. Typically gas is used to heat water, for showering, or central heating. In many countries, gas heating is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and climate damage, leading a growing number of countries to introduce bans. Air source heat pumps are the main alternative.[1]

The International Energy Agency has said that new gas boilers (or gas furnaces) should be banned no later than 2025.[2] Many installations and appliances have a life-span of 25 years, leading for calls that the bans must take place immediately, or at latest by 2025, because otherwise targets of net zero by 2050 cannot or are unlikely to be reached.[3] However fossil fuels lobbyists are resisting phase-out.[4]

List of gas boiler bans

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The following table lists different ban types in new or existing buildings.[5]

State Measure Date Details
Austria Ban on gas, oil and coal boiler installation and heaters in new buildings. 2023 Further plan to ban oil and coal boilers in existing buildings.
Belgium Ban on new oil boilers and gas connections in Flanders in all new buildings. 2025 Only in Flanders
California Ban on new gas furnaces and water heaters. 2030 California Air Resources Board writing rules to implement.[6]
Denmark Convert all 400,000 gas boilers to district heating and heat pumps 2029 Use obligation and duty for renewable energy
France Oil and gas boilers banned in new buildings 2023
Germany Ban on coal and oil boilers in existing buildings 2026 Aim to have 65% renewable energy in existing buildings from 2024
Ireland Gas and oil boilers banned from installation. 2025
Italy 60% renewables in new homes 2022
Luxembourg No new gas and oil installations in new buildings 2023
Netherlands Ban on connections to the grid for new buildings from 2018. 2026 Mandatory heat pumps from 2026
Norway Ban on gas and oil in existing or new homes
Slovakia Ban on sales and installation of new oil and gas boilers 2023
UK Ban on gas and oil boilers in new buildings 2035[7]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Heat pumps show how hard decarbonisation will be". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. ^ Net zero by 2050 (May 2021) IEA
  3. ^ EU Commission paralysis delays phase-out of fossil fuel boilers (7 July 2021) Cool Products
  4. ^ "The lobbying effort to save the EU's fossil boiler industry". 15 March 2023.
  5. ^ Which countries are scrapping fossil fuel heaters? (17 April 2023) European Heat Pump Association.
  6. ^ C Wells, 'California plans to phase out new gas heaters by 2030' (23 September 2022) NPR
  7. ^ updated, Jack Woodfield last (2022-06-21). "Is there a gas boiler ban in 2025? And what will replace my gas boiler?". Ideal Home. Retrieved 2023-11-28.