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The simple answer is NO oil boilers are not being banned. The government have not introduced any legislation which states oil boilers are to be banned or phased out.
There simply isnt a ‘one heating system fits all’ solution to low carbon home heating. Therefore there is likely to be a range of technologies used to heat our homes.
Of grid homes will likely have the option of converting their existing oil boiler to a hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) boiler or a heat pump.
The government are currently consulting various bodies such as OFTEC, manufacturers like Worcester Bosch, installers and the public, to gather insight on the best course of action to take. This will give home owners long, long lead times to prepare for any change.
A new oil boiler is reaches efficiencies of over 94% thereby reducing your carbon emissions and will save you money in fuel bills.
All Grant oil boilers are HVO ready for when the government start to introduce HVO as a means to phase out kerosene.
Worcester Bosch from autumn 2023 will be offering HVO conversion kits to convert your Worcester Bosch oil boiler allowing it to operate safely and efficiently on HVO.
Homeowners who purchase a HVO Conversion Kit will be able to significantly reduce the carbon output of their existing heating system without the need of moving to an alternative technology, which can be costly and disruptive.
Therefore whilst its easy to get caught up in the media hype of ‘boilers being banned’ the likelihood is the majority of oil fired heating homeowners will simply switch to HVO boiler with a simple conversion kit.
Heat pumps can be a great low carbon heating solution. I say low carbon as heat pumps depend on electricity to run and currently only 40% of the UK’s electricity in 2022 was made up of solar, wind, biomass and hydropower.
A big issue with heat pumps and the majority of UK homes is that they require a very insulated home to work well and 97% of oil heated homes are inefficient, typically band D-G. Heat pumps run off a much lower water temperature to oil boilers, therefore minimising heat loss in the home is crucial to the level of heating and comfort they provide.
Many off grid properties require such extensive insulation improvements that costs can racket up above £20,000 before you have even had the heat pump fitted. Therefore the current government grant of £5,000 isn’t viable for the majority of people.
Future Ready Fuels have pulled together the following table to help rural home owners understand the true cost of a heat pump for their home
The government has calculated that the average cost to upgrade an oil heated home in EPC band E to an acceptable Band C is £12,300 and, from EPC Band F/G, £18,900. However, the actual cost will vary and, depending on the condition of your home, you may need to install some or all of the following measures:
| Energy efficiency measures | Average installation cost |
| Improved loft insulation | £180 to £3,500 |
| Replacement windows and external doors | £1,200 to £10,000 |
| External wall insulation | £4,300 to £20,000 |
| Cavity wall insulation | £300 to £1,200 |
| Internal wall insulation | £2,500 to £11,600 |
| Floor insulation | £550 to £900 |
* These figures come from the ‘BEIS, What does it cost to retrofit homes’ report.
Therefore often the cost of installing a heat pump is 4x that of an oil boiler in addition to the cost there is the disruption caused by upgrading insulation at the property.
HVO on the other hand has been proved as a hugely viable solution for rural home owners and one that is welcomed by off grid home owners.
HVO works the same as kerosene with only a small modification needed to your existing oil boiler, HVO reduces carbon emissions by 90%!
HVO has already been part of successful trials in a Cornish village, who have seen a dramatic reduction in their carbon emissions and fuel bills. Infact, even the local school have converted to HVO and are delighted with the results.
Currently with the success of the first ever fossil free HVO village which has proven HVO is a viable heating solution for homes unsuitable for heat pumps and who do not want to go ahead with costly and disruptive insulation improvement works.
Many rural MP’s now understand the public and installers concerns about the governments decarbonization plans and are supporting HVO as an alternative option.
Therefore a bill has been presented to Parliament, which could help pave the way for the UK’s 1.7 million oil heated homes to transition to a low carbon renewable fuel.
In his speech, George Eustice MP stated: “the renewable liquid fuel heating bill establishes, in my view, a better path towards decarbonising our energy in these off-grid homes because the technology now exists to adapt existing boilers so that they can run not on kerosene but on HVO.”
If you want to help increase the viability of HVO then why not write to your local MP.
Write to or email your MP to explain your concerns about the government’s current plans and highlight your interest in affordable green heating solutions such as HVO.
Future ready fuels have even provided a template letter if needed.
If you would like a quote for a new energy efficient oil boiler please call our friendly team on 01258 472132 or fill in the enquiry form.
