Climate Change and Housing

[ant1973]

Is anyone worried about the threats to ban gas central heating and the like in the near term? What started as a proposal to ban them from new homes is now apparently being considered for existing homes as well. While I think such a proposal is unlikely to find favour in the consultation, you could not rule it out. It would essentially mean that some hard to heat homes could would no longer be catered for at reasonable cost (given the price disparity between electricity and gas). I have a horrible feeling that if you are of reasonable means, you will be on your own to resolve the issue. Part of me wonders about moving house now (I live in a victorian home that has been rennovated but remains pretty expensive to heat even with gas). Anyone else feel the same way?

[garagewidow]

I can understand new builds going all electric ,but older properties?

What if the owner can't afford to change or are the gov going to pay.

with this and us all driving EVs in the furture I can't see it happening.

I suppose it could be done by a slow withdrawal of boiler spare parts being available so 'forcing' people to change.

But till then they can FRO.

[robbieduncan]

It’s going to have to happen. Sooner rather than later

[ReallyReallyGood]

It's ok, we won't need heating soon.

[BoRED S2upid]

No. To change every home in the U.K. from gas central heating to electric would cost more than HS2 and take decades! its never going to happen for older properties. New builds yes but they can be that well insulated you hardly need heating.

[kev1974]

Seems like something that should at least start in new build houses and flats, especially ones where they've got the opportunity to dig up the road and put in chunky enough electrical infrastructure to support the heater load.

There was recently a substantial gas outage across Richmond (West London) that went on for a couple of weeks, the gas company (Cadent) handed out electric radiators, fan heaters, and hot plates to the affected streets, next thing was power cuts across the area and the electricity company having to do termporary cable jointing in the streets to get enough supply back.

[Riley Blue]

Hydrogen boilers already being trialled: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/100-hydrogen-b...

It seems they can run on natural gas in preparation for a switch of fuel to hydrogen. Perhaps they could be the way forward for existing properties but how many decades will it be before all natural gas boilers reach their end of life? Some sort of incentive, e.g. grant funding, is going to be needed as encouragement.

[stew-STR160]

ReallyReallyGood said:

It's ok, we won't need heating soon.

Because it'll be summer?

[Sophisticated Sarah]

ReallyReallyGood said:

It's ok, we won't need heating soon.

I remember Miliband saying that while excusing the high energy costs... think it was about 20 years ago?

The poor will have to go back to burning books and newspapers to keep warm.

[ant1973]

I worry that it will be dressed up as part of the "green revolution" and regarded as "infrastructure spending" and therefore good for the economy and jobs but paid for by me! To go all electric would double or triple my bills. Must surely have an impact on houseprices as well. We looked at more insulation when we renovated but the cost\saving benefit was really poor. Clearly that will change if the bills go up. Also, there is only so much you can do with an older property; it's never going to be like a new, thermally efficient, building.

The tension between the green lobby and the historic building lobby will also be funny: should we just knock it down or close it because we cannot afford to heat it?

If they are going to force us into electric cars, I cannot see why housing will be regarded differently.