For three years the boiler industry lobbied for "hydrogen-ready" gas boilers to receive partial carbon credit under the Future Homes Standard. The October 2025 consultation response rejected the proposal. The March 2026 Approved Documents confirmed it. Here is why.
The carbon emissions maths
Part L 2026 demands a 75% CO₂ reduction versus the 2013 baseline. Natural gas at 0.21 kgCO₂/kWh delivers ~30%. Hybrid heat pump + gas at typical UK operation delivers ~50%. Heat pumps on the 2025-29 forward-looking grid (0.10 kgCO₂/kWh average) deliver ~78%. Heat pump connection to a heat network can hit 80%+. Hydrogen-ready boilers — which only run on natural gas until/unless hydrogen supply arrives — score identically to standard gas. There is no carbon credit to give.
The political context
Boiler manufacturers and the gas-industry lobby (BEIS, NIA, Energy UK) argued that excluding hydrogen-ready boilers risked "stranding" investment in dual-fuel infrastructure. The Government's response was that domestic hydrogen has no national rollout plan, the gas distribution network is not converting any time soon, and "future-proofing" buyers against a non-existent fuel switch is not a policy goal. The October 2025 response was unusually direct.
What it means for new builds
In new dwellings from 24 March 2027, only air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps and connection to heat networks meet the Part L 2026 carbon targets. Gas boilers — including hydrogen-ready ones — are out: see gas boilers banned in new builds for the dates and transitional rules. Existing homes are unaffected; gas boiler replacements in existing properties remain legal and will remain legal for the foreseeable future.
The 2027 supply-chain question
UK heat pump installation capacity will need to roughly triple by 2027 — from ~70,000/year in 2025 to ~250,000/year. MCS-certified installers, parts supply (refrigerants, controls) and hot water cylinder manufacturing all face capacity constraints. Bulk procurement frameworks like ours hedge against the price spikes that capacity-constrained markets produce.
