What Will Replace Gas Boilers?

From 2030, the Government has announced that gas boilers will be no more. As the UK pushes on in an attempt to meet its green targets, homeowners will need to consider alternatives. So, if you are likely to need a new boiler after 2030, which is not too far away, it’s time to learn about what alternatives are likely to be available.

This is one of the more obvious alternatives and these types of boilers are likely to use a refrigerant that will allow the absorption of the natural heat found in the ground, water or air. The refrigerant is compressed further to help increase the temperature and this can then be used to heat the cold water in the system. Once the water has been heated, it can then be pumped to all of the radiators in your home and to your hot taps.

Easy Installation

As far as replacements go,  an air source heat pump is one of the easiest out there to install as it uses a fan to draw in the surrounding air over the heat exchanger. A ground source heat pump will require pipework to be installed on the land situated around your home in order to obtain the heat from the ground, this will mean that this kind of system becomes more expensive to install.

However, this kind of system won’t require any oil or gas to operate which makes it different to a traditional boiler and instead, it works using electricity. So, when it uses electricity that comes from a renewable source, it will mean that there are no resulting carbon emissions.

Currently, opting to use mains electricity requires the burning of fossil fuels to generate it and that will result in most heat pumps not being completely carbon neutral. If you were able to generate electricity on your land or property using solar panels then it could run using renewable energy, particularly if you have the scope to store the energy in a battery.

Pairing Up With Solar

Through pairing up this system with solar panels will help you to reduce running costs by as much as 40%. However, you would need to consider the cost of the solar panels, the amount of money you would save would mean that you would make the initial cost back in just a few years. Furthermore, any additional electricity you generate could be sold back to the National Grid.

Heat pumps come with many advantages and the right installation will last longer than traditional gas boilers and also provide cooling during the summer months.

In a similar way to gas boilers, electric boilers simply use electricity to heat up the water. They are generally smaller than gas boilers and offer the same level of efficiency.

In the same way as heat pumps, an electric boiler will never be 100% Co2 neutral if the electricity is derived from burning fossil fuels. However, as mentioned, if you opt for solar panels, the renewable energy source would significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

Solar heating systems or thermal systems as they are also known will not completely remove the need for gas but they can reduce the amount you use by as much as 60%. This is a considerable difference, especially if every home had this kind of system installed.

In contrast to solar panels that can generate electricity, this type of system will use heat from the sun to warm up cold water by using solar collectors that are located on your roof. The collectors have the ability to absorb the thermal heat from the sun and then use that to heat water that is stored in a tank, which is similar to a conventional boiler system.

All of these options can be installed alongside your current gas boiler and they can even work independently although this will depend on the amount of sunlight available. The system is ideal for flat roofs, slanting roofs and wall mounting, while they can work in both the horizontal and vertical position. The solar collectors can then produce warm water during cold weather making them suitable for use in the UK. The systems also use less space when compared with the space that solar PV uses.

Regardless of the legislation based around making homes fossil fuel-free after 2030, these options could help you reduce your carbon footprint even before 2030. So, if you are looking to prepare for the future, you could consider utilising this new technology as a way of future proofing your home and preparing yourself the right way.