Compulsory switch to heat pumps for homes outside of gas grid in 2026 may be changed to allow biofuel alternatives
A ban on new oil boilers in off-grid homes could be watered down, government sources have suggested, after a backlash from Conservative MPs.
Households could be banned from installing oil boilers in homes that are not connected to the gas grid from 2026, under plans to help meet net zero goals.
But Tory MPs have raised concerns about the impact on the 1.7 million – largely rural – households that would be hit by the ban within three years.
George Eustice, the former environment secretary, has said forcing households to switch to heat pumps when their boiler breaks would be like a “rural Ulez”.