Are gas boilers being banned? What the rules actually say

Checked November 2026

No. There’s no ban on gas boilers in existing homes in England. You can still replace a broken or old gas boiler with a new one. The rule that does change is for new build homes, under the Future Homes Standard from 24 March 2027.

That’s the short answer. Below is what the government has actually said, where the 2035 date came from, and how we’d think about boiler or heat pump if your current one is getting tired.

Can I still replace my gas boiler?

Yes. If you live in an existing home, you can replace a gas boiler with a new gas boiler. Nothing in current government policy stops that. If yours is near the end, our gas boiler replacement page explains how we do it.

The Warm Homes Plan is the government’s main plan for home heating. It was published in January 2026 and updated in March 2026. It doesn’t set a phase-out date for gas boilers in existing homes. What it does say is that the aim is for heat pumps to become “the desirable and natural choice” for households replacing a heating system at the end of its life.

That’s an ambition, not a rule. The plan puts money into grants and into making heat pumps easier to buy and fit. It doesn’t make you take a working boiler out. It doesn’t stop you fitting a new one when the old one fails.

The plan also talks about installers giving a heat pump quote alongside a boiler quote when someone replaces their heating. That’s a voluntary pilot, not a legal duty. So you may start to see two options on a quote. You’re still free to choose.

What happened to the 2035 date?

You’ve probably seen “gas boilers banned from 2035” in headlines. A lot of pages online still say it.

Back in January 2025 Homebuilding reported that the 2035 ban would now only apply to new properties. It quoted a spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: “We will not force anyone to rip out a working boiler.”

A year later the Warm Homes Plan came out with no phase-out date for existing homes at all. So if a page tells you a ban is coming in 2035 for your home, it’s out of date or wrong.

Policy does change. We’ll check this page every six months and update it if anything moves.

Do new build homes still get gas boilers?

This is the part that does change things, but only for homes that haven’t been built yet.

The Future Homes Standard comes into force in England on 24 March 2027. That’s set out in the government’s Building Circular 01/2026. It covers new homes and other new buildings. It isn’t about replacing the boiler in a house that’s already standing.

The circular applies to building work in England only. If you live in Wales or Scotland, check your own government’s rules rather than going by this page.

There’s a transition period. If the building control paperwork for a new build was submitted before 24 March 2027 and work starts before 24 March 2028, the old rules still apply. Taller higher-risk buildings follow a slightly different timetable, from 24 September 2027.

The government’s impact assessment for the standard says new homes built to it “will no longer rely on fossil fuels”. The reference home it’s measured against includes a heat pump. In plain terms, expect new build homes to come with low carbon heating rather than a gas boiler, once the transition runs out.

If you’re buying a new build off plan, ask the developer which rules the home is being built under. Homes covered by the transition are built to the old standards.

Boiler or heat pump: what we’d suggest for older local homes

We fit both. So we don’t have a reason to push you one way.

A lot of homes round here are older. Terraces in Hinckley. 1930s semis in Coventry. Regency townhouses in Leamington Spa. Our page on boiler installation in Leamington Spa covers Regency and Victorian homes. When a boiler in one of these homes is getting near the end, here’s how we’d think about it.

A new gas boiler is often the simpler choice when:

• The old boiler has failed and you need heat and hot water back quickly.
• You’re planning to move in the next few years.
• There’s no space outside for a heat pump unit, or no room inside for a hot water cylinder.
• You’d rather not change radiators right now.

A heat pump is worth a proper look when:

• Your boiler still works, so you’ve got time to plan instead of rushing.
• You’re staying put for the long term.
• You’ve already done some insulation, or you’re planning to.
• You’ve got a hot water cylinder already. Keeping it can make a later switch easier.

Neither list is a rule. Every house is different. A heat pump needs a proper heat loss survey before anyone can tell you if it suits your home and what it would cost to run. In an older home the design usually needs more care, not a different answer by default.

If you want the side by side, our guide to heat pump or gas boiler goes through cost, running costs and lifespan. For boiler prices, see how much a new boiler costs. If you’re leaning towards a heat pump, start with our guide on whether your home suits a heat pump. Our air source heat pump installation page explains how we fit them.

Is there a grant for a new gas boiler?

There’s no grant for a new gas boiler. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump in England and Wales. Our air source heat pump installation page covers the grant too.

Thinking about replacing your boiler, or weighing it up against a heat pump? We’ll give you an honest view for your home.

Sources

• GOV.UK, “Warm Homes Plan” (published January 2026, updated 18 March 2026, includes the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for England and Wales), checked 3 Nov 2026, www.gov.uk
• GOV.UK, “The Future Homes and Buildings Standards: Building Circular 01/2026” (applies to building work in England), checked 3 Nov 2026, www.gov.uk
• MHCLG, “Final stage impact assessment: Future Homes Standard” (24 March 2026), checked 3 Nov 2026, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
• Homebuilding, “Gas boiler ban” (last updated 10 January 2025), checked 3 Nov 2026, homebuilding.co.uk
• Ofgem, “Boiler Upgrade Scheme” (grant amounts, England and Wales), checked 2 Nov 2026, www.ofgem.gov.uk