Are gas boilers banned in new builds? Not by name, but in practice yes. From 24 March 2027, new homes in England must meet the Part L 2026 energy and carbon targets, which are set by a notional home with low-carbon heating, and a new home heated by a gas boiler cannot meet them. So gas boilers are, in effect, banned in new builds, and heat pumps and heat networks take their place. Existing homes are different: gas boilers can still be fitted and replaced there.
Is it a legal ban?
No. Approved Document L 2026 does not name gas boilers or prohibit them. Instead, each new home is compared with a notional dwelling of the same size and shape, and must match its target emission rate, target primary energy rate and target fabric energy efficiency rate. Those targets are set with low-carbon heating, so a home that burns gas for its heating falls short. The effect is the same as a ban, which is why the change is widely described as one.
When it starts: the dates that matter
Part L 2026 takes effect on 24 March 2027 for building work that is not higher-risk building work, and on 24 September 2027 for higher-risk building work. A home can still be built to the previous rules, gas boiler included, only where a building notice, initial notice or full plans application was given before 24 March 2027 and work on that building starts before 24 March 2028 (Building Circular 01/2026). Protection is assessed building by building, so on a phased site the later plots can fall under the new rules.
Why a gas boiler cannot meet the targets
A gas boiler turns each unit of gas into slightly less than one unit of heat, and every unit of gas burned releases carbon at the home. A heat pump moves heat from the outside air, delivering several units of heat for each unit of electricity, and the carbon in grid electricity keeps falling. Measured against targets built around low-carbon heating, the gas-heated home loses on both emissions and primary energy.
Hydrogen-ready and hybrid boilers
A "hydrogen-ready" boiler burns natural gas until a hydrogen supply exists, so for compliance it is still a gas boiler. A hybrid system pairs a heat pump with a gas boiler, keeping a gas connection and a boiler that the notional dwelling does not have. In practice new-build specifications have moved to a heat pump on its own or a heat network connection.
What replaces gas boilers in new builds
Air source heat pumps are the usual choice for houses, with a hot water cylinder and controls. Heat networks suit dense urban schemes where a communal system serves many homes. Ground source heat pumps work well where there is land or a shared ground loop. Paired with the solar PV that requirement L3 of Part L 2026 now expects, a heat pump can run partly on electricity generated on the roof.
Existing homes: no ban on gas boilers
The new-build rules do not affect existing homes. The Warm Homes Plan published in January 2026 did not bring in the previously proposed ban on new gas boilers being fitted in existing homes after 2035, so boiler replacements remain allowed. Homeowners switching to a heat pump can apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump, or £9,000 until 31 March 2027 for homes heated by oil or LPG without mains gas (the standard £7,500 plus an additional £1,500).
Self-builders and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
New builds that a developer is still building are not eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Self-builds are: the scheme accepts a self-build property if you built it yourself or paid a builder to build it, and it has never been owned by a business or organisation. For a self-builder installing a heat pump to meet Part L 2026, that grant can be worth checking before the heating is specified.
Scotland and Wales
Scotland moved first: its New Build Heat Standard has required zero direct emissions heating in most new buildings since April 2024. Wales has published its own Approved Document L (2026), so check the Welsh Government's guidance for its dates. The rules on this page apply in England.
What it adds to the cost of a new home
The Government's Impact Assessment puts the whole Future Homes Standard premium at about £4,350 per dwelling at 2025 prices, covering the heat pump, the solar PV, ventilation and fabric changes together. Running costs depend on the heat pump's efficiency, the tariff and how much of the heating the roof-top PV can supply.