Some people have been warned they will need to replace all radiators and boilers
Elderly people could be left freezing in the winter if oil boilers are banned in off-grid homes from 2026, a leading charity has warned.
Age UK said it was «extremely important» that any deadline be set in the spring or summer as initial «problems with installation that occur during the colder months can leave older consumers “without access to the heating system” if their oil boiler breaks down and they need to replace it with a heat pump or other environmentally friendly device.
The charity also said the ban should be «well publicized» both online and offline with «sufficient notice» so that the change does not come as a «shock» to seniors who do not have internet access.
< p>Ministers have been consulting for almost two years on their proposals to ban the installation of fossil-fuel heating systems, including oil-fired boilers, in self-contained homes from 2026
This will be the first in a series of zero deadlines to go into effect, affecting 1.7 million homes, mostly in rural areas, and will encourage homeowners to switch to heat pumps.
But the move has been questioned. as Rishi Sunak faces growing backlash from Conservative MPs and government insiders insist the ban was just a «proposal» led by Boris Johnson.
Unsuitable Homes
Old houses in the countryside are not well suited for heat pumps, which require careful insulation to work effectively. Some homeowners have been told they will also have to replace their radiators to accommodate their heating appliances.
In its response to government consultations launched in October 2021, Age UK stated: “Any hard deadline for phasing out boilers Fossil-fuel-fired heating systems should also be well advertised on various online and offline platforms so that older consumers are adequately notified of any changes to permitted heating systems.
“It is imperative that the phase-out scheme does not come as a shock to any of the older households, including those who are not using digital technologies.”
The charity added that ministers should “avoid implementation problems installations during the colder months» as «initial installation problems can leave older consumers without access to a heating system during colder periods.»
“As a result, it is critical that any phase-out deadline be set from April or early summer,” it said.
Oil Boilers in Cabinet' constituencies
Age UK also said more funding is needed for low-income and poor households to make the 2026 deadline 'viable'.
The concerns are shared by the Country Land and Business Association, which warned in its own response to the consultation that homeowners need «sufficient incentives and awareness» to plan for the transition so that people are not left without heat «in the dead of winter.»
Meanwhile, the Rural Services Network said the ban could force people to move to avoid the higher energy bills associated with heat pumps in older homes.
Sir Robert Goodwill, former Minister for the Environment and Chairman of the Community Committee on Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: “I am concerned that the additional work required to install an air source heat pump, including retrofitting radiators and piping and possibly building an external The maintenance room in some smaller homes can mean a retiree's home can go without heat for weeks, while a simple oil boiler change can be done in a couple of days.
“The boilers do not break down in the summer when they are not being used, so that an elderly person can be left without heating during the coldest time of the year. I share Age UK's concerns about this.»
«Big, big work»
Sir Christopher Chop, another former environment secretary, said he, too, was concerned about older people being left without heat during the winter.
“If you already have an oil-fired condensing boiler and want to switch to it, or are forced to switch to a heat pump system, then you may need not only to overhaul the heating system in the house, but it is quite possible also you will have to reinstall or install the water tank for the first time. It's a big, big job,” he said.
It's not clear when the government plans to respond to its consultations.
An Energy Security Department and Net Zero spokesman said: «We've held consultations on new rules for the phased shutdown of boilers in houses and non-residential buildings from the gas network from 2026. We will confirm our plans when we publish our response to the consultation in due course.
“ We are fully focused on achieving our goal of installing 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028 with grants of 5,000 and 6 £000 towards costs, totaling £81 million in vouchers for installers in the first year of our boiler retrofit scheme.< /p>
“Thousands of heating installers have already been trained to install and repair heat pumps and we are working to improve the skills of more than 10,000 people by 2025.”
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