The government is to scrap the 2035 ban on gas boilers in its new housebuilding standards.

The previous Conservative government had laid plans to phase out gas heating for homes by banning the sale of new gas boilers by 2035, so people replacing their gas boilers after that date would instead have to buy a heat pump or other environmentally friendly way of heating homes.

Using gas to heat the UK’s homes adds a huge amount to the country’s carbon footprint and it is estimated home heating accounted for 18% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 with the average UK gas boiler responsible for more CO2-equivalent emissions in a year than taking seven transatlantic flights.

Government sources confirmed that the future homes standard (FHS), expected to be published soon, will not mandate that gas boilers have to be removed and will not include a ban on their sale by 2035. However, minimum standards for energy efficiency in new build properties will preclude the installation of gas boilers. The government is also extending the £7,500 grant for people to install heat pumps, hoping this will boost uptake.

The long-delayed regulations are expected to make solar panels on roofs optional rather than mandatory, and to “encourage” builders to equip homes with some solar panels “where appropriate”. This is despite the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, having promised a “rooftop revolution” during the election campaign.

A recent study from the MCS Foundation found that equipping homes with heat pumps, solar panels and battery storage would save households living in a typical three-bedroom house more than £46,600 on energy bills over the course of a 25-year mortgage.