Heating doesn’t break down in summer, Age UK warns, and installing eco devices takes weeks and may put elderly at risk
Elderly people could be left to freeze in winter if oil boilers are banned in off-grid homes from 2026, a leading charity has warned.
Age UK said it is “crucial” that any deadline is enacted in the spring or summer, as initial “installation issues” arising in the colder months could leave older consumers “without access to a heating system” if their oil boiler breaks and they need to replace it with a heat pump or other eco friendly device.
The charity also said the ban must be “well advertised” both on and offline, with “sufficient notice”, to avoid the change coming as a “shock” to elderly people who do not have access to the internet.
Ministers have been consulting for nearly two years on their proposals to ban the installation of fossil-fuel-powered heating systems, including oil boilers, in off-grid homes from 2026.