Gas Boilers and Landlords

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Trello card: https://trello.com/c/2B9JYNTz

Workshop outline

  • Part 1: Gas boilers, electric heat pumps, CO2 - explainer
    • Gas Boilers
      • There are three types of Gas Boilers, and they can change the efficiency of your heat use
      • Most boilers in the UK are gas boilers, that connect to the gas grid to provide fuel for your boiler when you need it
        • 1. Combi Boilers
          • All the heat and hot water come directly from the boiler itself, making them the least expensive type of boiler and one of the more common
          • Combi boilers give you heat and hot water on demand, making them a more efficient choice for smaller households    
        • 2. System Boilers
          • System boilers have a separate water cylinder to store hot water, making them more efficient than combi boilers at producing hot water, but heat is lost from the hot water cylinder over time
          • Have a store for hot water makes system boilers better for larger family homes
        • 3. Heat-only Boilers    
          • Work in a similar storage fashion to system boilers
          • The main difference is that heat-only boilers have two extra header tanks to store cold water,
          • Suitable for larger homes with space for two water tanks
      • The average cost of a replacement boiler will be around 3,700 pounds
      • The UK government has scraped the 2035 ban on gas boilers in its new housebuilding standards (Jan 2025).
      • Using gas to heat the UK’s homes adds a huge amount to the country’s carbon footprint; home heating accounted for 18% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2021
      • The average UK gas boiler is responsible for more than C02 equivalent emissions in a year than taking seven transatlantic flights
    • CO2 Emissions
      • Home heating accounts for 38% of all UK gas use, and an average household gas boiler emits greenhouse gases equivalent to approximately 2.2 tonnes of CO2 per year
      • This equates to 183kg per month for an average UK boiler or 2.2 tonnes per year
      • A single oil-fired boiler can emit four to six tonnes of CO2 per household annually, making it twice as inefficient than a modern gas boiler
      • Gas boiler fittings outnumbered new heat pump installations by more than 15 to one last year and only one in eight new homes were equipped with the low-carbon alternative (2024) = fewer than 100,000 heat pumps to 1.5 million gas boilers
      • Poorer households are being shut out of the heat pumps markets as the grants are inadequate and should be increased
      • the grant available through the boiler upgrade scheme – 7,500 pounds in England and Wales, still leaves homeowners paying about 5,400 pounds on average
        • Leaving poorer households cut off
        • Only 19% of heat pumps in use today are in the poorest third of areas, while about 45% are installed in the richest third of neighbourhood
    • Heat Pumps
      • Heat pumps are an energy efficient, low carbon way to heat your home
      • It’s a low carbon heating system that takes heat from the outside environment and raises the temp to use in your central heating system
      • Using air and electricity, heat pumps are based on the same technology found in your fridge freezer
      • An electric pump takes heat from the air outside and compresses it, so it reaches a high temperature, so it reaches a high temperature and then moves it around the home
      • every unit of electricity it uses, it produces three units of heat
        • 1. Air source heat pumps
          • Transfers heat from the outside air to the water in your central heating system
          • This heats rooms in your home via radiators or underfloor heating
          • Benefits
            • Lower energy bills
            • Reduce your energy use
            • Improve carbon footprint
          • Costs
            • Around 11,000 pounds
        • 2. Ground source heat pump
          • Transfers heat from the ground outside to heat your home
          • GSHPs absorb heat from the ground through underground pipework
          • it can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder, ready to use for your hot taps and showers
          • Need lots of space or land outside to install
          • Benefits
            • Lower energy bills
            • Reduce your energy use
            • Improve carbon footprint
          • Costs
            • Installing cost around 29,000 pounds
        • 3. Air to Air heat pumps
          • They warm the air inside the buildings
          • They have one unit outside and one unit inside – these use pipes carrying a refrigerant between the units
          • Same set up as air-conditioning
          • Best for flats with small square footage
          • Cons: they don’t heat hot water, so you’ll need an alternative for heating your hot water
            • Hot water cylinder with an electric immersion heater
            • An electric shower or point of use water heaters
      • Pros of heat pumps
        • Lower running costs (but not always)
        • Quiet operation
        • Low maintenance
        • Safer than boilers
        • Reduced emissions
        • Offers cooling
        • Longer lifespans
      • Cons of heat pumps
        • High upfront cost
        • Complex to install
        • Weather effects performance
        • Planning permissions in some areas
    • CO2 Emissions
      • If a UK household with an average annual energy consumption of 12,000 kWh switches to a heat pump their emissions can be reduced by 1,404 Kg of CO2
      • An air-source heat pump produces around 850 kg of CO2 compared to the 2,200 – 2,500 kg from a gas boiler
      • Seen numbers around 496 Kgs of CO2 emissions per year
      • Possibility of saving up to 2 tonnes of CO2
      • The UK could save around 54 million tonnes of CO2 a year if every one of the 28.2 million households in the UK had a heat pump instead of a gas boiler
    • The role of solar panels
      • For homeowners looking to maximise air source heat pump carbon saving, installing solar panels offers an ideal solution
      • By generating renewable electricity on-site, it becomes possible to power your heat pump with zero-carbon energy
      • This presents a carbon neutral option
  • Part 2: Jonathan - heatpump, solar panels, underfloor heating. Gas bill impact for St Luke's?
  • Part 3: Reasons for a landlord to install a heatpump
    • Domestic gas usage is roughly 15% of the UK carbon footprint
    • Domestic gas is roughly 20% of the average EcoCounts member's carbon footprint
    • Gas boilers are cheaper and easier to install than a heatpump because it is a straight new for old swop
    • Running a heatpump isn't necessarily cheaper. Electricity prices contain a levy that the government takes to pay for the energy transition. Why isn't this charged on gas?
    • Gas costs for central heating and hot water for a 2-bed flat in an old Edwardian terrace house
      • badly insulated, old boiler: 12,000 kWh / £800 pa
      • well insulated, new boiler, down to: 6,000 kWh / £400 pa
    • Without major modifications, a heat pump is not going to be as cheap as the most efficient gas central heating. To be efficient, a heatpump should be installed with pipes and radiators that are thicker and larger
    • Installing a new gas boiler though is a risk.
      • The government may choose to shut down the gas networks. Governments have a long history of banning outdated technology: coal for domestic heating in cities, new oil-fired boilers, asbestos, some refrigerants, leaded petrol, sulphurous diesel, stubble burning, incandescant lightbulbs
      • The dwindling number of customers using gas may force the gas suppliers to increase charges to cover maintenance.
    • Landlords need to have an "EPC" energy performance certificate rating of E to rent out. This may change soon to C in 2028 / 2030.
    • Business premises require a digital energy certificate - DEC
    • Grants for heat pumps £7500 to help install it
    • Grants for people on income support - landlord can apply for Warm Homes Grant up to £30K if EPC is D or lower, until mid-2028
    • Grants for businesses, varies according to council https://www.islington.gov.uk/business/energy-services/large-energy-efficiency-grant-for-small-businesses

Actions

Headlines

  • Guardian
    • "UK government scraps plans to ban sale of gas boilers by 2035 - the average UK gas boiler is responsible for more CO2-equivalent emissions in a year than taking seven transatlantic flights.”
    • “A recent study from the MCS Foundation found that equipping homes with heat pumps, solar panels and battery storage would save households living in a typical three-bedroom house more than £46,600 on energy bills over the course of a 25-year mortgage.”
    • “Colder Nordic countries have embraced heat pumps; Norway has 635 for every 1,000 households, while Germany has 47 and the UK just 15.”
  • Warmzilla: The Environmental Impact of Boilers: Green Solutions for Home Heating -
    • “Gas boilers are… responsible for 14% of the country’s carbon emissions.”,
    • “an average gas boiler emitting 2.2 tonnes of CO2 annually.”,
    • “New condensing boilers release up to 10 to 20% less CO2 than older boilers.”,
    • “A single oil-fired boiler can emit four to six tonnes of CO2 per household annually, making it twice as inefficient as modern gas boilers”,
    • “According to the UK government, the country is one of the first major economies to have successfully halved its emissions by 50% between 1990 and 2022. Renewable energy sources now account for more than 40% of the country’s electricity.”, Yeah, but we just exported the manufacturing to China and all the emissions happen there - and they're worse because China burns more coal than us
    • “Air heat pumps are also incredibly efficient compared to other heating technology, with a 400% efficiency rating”,
    • “geothermal heat pumps are incredibly efficient, being able to reach efficiency ratings of between 300% and 600%, even in the coldest conditions. In fact, in Norway, 29,745 heat pump systems have been installed.”,
    • “the underground piping system can last over 50 years, with the pump unit having a shelf life of around 20 to 25 years.”
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