Commit to Clean Heat
Three in five people across Britain support a commitment to clean heat that would mean all new heating systems from 2035 are zero-carbon, with the majority being heat pumps.
The UK, Scottish, and Welsh governments can deliver on what the public want and commit to clean heat by implementing a 2035 commitment to clean heat and ensuring no new fossil fuel boilers are installed from that date. This would provide certainty and clarity for households, businesses, and installers alike, to scale up the purchasing, manufacturing and installation of heat pumps.
Britain has historically moved from more polluting, less efficient heating sources like wood or coal to cleaner and more efficient systems. The transition away from fossil fuel boilers toward zero-emissions heating such as heat pumps heat pumps is the next stage in that development, helping to deliver warmer homes and greater efficiency.
We cannot keep installing polluting fossil fuel boilers indefinitely and meet the UK’s legally binding climate targets, according to The Climate Change Committee. A boiler’s typical lifespan is around fifteen years. So, to achieve zero-carbon homes by the legally obligated date of 2045 (in Scotland) or 2050 (in England and Wales) fossil fuel boilers should not be installed past 2035.
There is record demand for heat pumps, the renewable alternative to boilers, in Britain according to MCS data. However, in 2025 60,000 certified heat pumps were installed, a long way from the 450,000 a year needed to meet climate targets. A clear deadline for phasing out fossil fuel boilers is essential to ensure installers, manufacturers, and households alike are prepared for the switch from boilers to heat pumps and other renewables.
A clear commitment to clean heat will also support the delivery of UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, in which clean heat is a key growth area.
The public wants the Government to commit to clean heat. Answering those calls will gain public support, but support the government to meet its own goals.
Key stats
Three in five of the public ensuring that all new heating systems have zero-carbon emissions from 2035
The typical lifespan of a boiler, after which it would be replaced by a clean heating system
The date when the public want all new heating systems to be zero-carbon