THE head of Worcester Bosch says it is a ‘shame’ that the Government has decided to push ahead with plans to ban gas boilers in new homes.

Chancellor Philip Hammond backed the Committee on Climate Change’s proposal to ban gas boilers in new-builds, as part of his Spring Statement.

The move will mean that gas boilers will be banned in new properties from 2025, in a bid to end the use of fossil fuel heating systems.

Carl Arntzen, CEO of Worcester Bosch, said: “It is a shame, and in my opinion a missed opportunity, that the Chancellor has followed the Committee on Climate Change’s advice to ban gas boilers from all new-build homes by 2025.

“If heat pumps, as an example, become the only source of heating in new homes, the electricity required will still need to come from somewhere.

“To generate the amount needed non-renewable sources will have to be used, producing carbon and therefore adding to the problem.

“The decarbonisation of heat and hot water is an incredibly difficult issue to solve, especially in our country where the weather is constantly fluctuating.

“A number of different solutions need to work in conjunction with one another. One other solution is hydrogen gas. Research is underway and is a better alternative to a blanket ban that the government has proposed.

“There is the possibility that hydrogen-ready boilers could be manufactured and fitted into homes on the gas grid.

“Once the necessary trials on hydrogen are completed, these boilers can then be allowed to accept and run on hydrogen, producing zero-carbon in the process.

“So instead, a hybrid system could be a better option for new-build homes. A heat pump that warms the house to a certain point, with back-up from a hydrogen-ready gas boiler.

“The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has already realised that one individual solution isn’t possible for decarbonisation of heating and hot water, so to hear the Chancellor’s speech yesterday, whilst having the right aspirations, is not going to be executed in the most realistic way. In short, more discussions are definitely needed.”

READ MORE: The CEO previously slammed the proposed ban.