It’s another piece in the Boris Johnson climate-calming jigsaw. First, he slots in a world-leading policy halting the sale of petrol cars by 2030.
Now he lays down another piece – no new gas boilers after 2035. It’s another trend-setting initiative that other nations will surely follow.
There’s a problem, though. Because by that date in the middle of the next decade the PM has already pledged to cut emissions overall by 78% over 1990 levels.
Energy experts say that simply won’t happen unless he provides much wider incentives for people to insulate their homes and to buy heat pumps to replace their gas boilers.
One group of researchers estimates that to meet his net zero targets he needs to invest nearly another £10bn over three years.
They hope the chancellor will fill that piece of the jigsaw in his spending review next week.
Industry sources welcomed the new strategy.
The Confederation of British Industry, representing larger UK businesses, said the strategy would help members prepare for the changes ahead.
Matthew Fell, CBI chief policy director, said it provided “a golden opportunity for both the public and private sector to pick up the pace of progress to net zero”.
But he called for “a clear delivery plan for consumers, businesses and local authorities”.
The chief executive of Scottish Power, Keith Anderson, said it would kick-start demand for electric heating, “allowing the industry to accelerate the delivery of electrification and quickly bring down upfront costs.”
And Phil Hurley, who chairs the Heat Pump Association, said it would give the industry a confidence boost – allowing it to scale up and retrain in preparation for the “mass rollout of heat pumps”.
However, Joanne Wade, from the Association for Decentralised Energy, said she was disappointed that there was “nothing about further supply chain support to build skills and de-risk market entry for smaller firms”.
