The mayor of London has delivered two city-wide schemes to replace and repair some of the most inefficient gas boilers in the city’s homes, supporting climate action, improving energy efficiency, and delivering numerous positive socioeconomic outcomes.
The majority of Londoners rely on individual gas boilers for hot water and warm homes. However, as with many aging cities, much of the existing housing stock and heating systems are inefficient and expensive. The London Boiler Cashback Scheme and Better Boilers are two schemes designed to replace aging boilers, reduce fuel poverty, and improve air quality in London.
The Cashback Scheme provided around 4,000 homeowners and private landlords with $500 cashback to replace boilers operating at less than 70% efficiency with new boilers operating at more than 90% efficiency and outfitted with better controls. The scheme used mayoral funds at the outset to leverage a further $13 million from the private sector to create deeper CO2 reductions and help achieve the mayor’s target of becoming a zero-carbon city by 2050. The Better Boilers scheme specifically targets the most vulnerable communities in London and is in response to rising numbers of fuel-poor citizens in the capital.
6,500 metric tons of CO2 are saved each year from the boiler schemes
The Challenge
Residential buildings are estimated to be responsible for 36% of London’s total emissions, with two-thirds coming from heating and hot water. Targeting the most vulnerable is one of several ways to realize CO2 reductions in an inclusive and economic manner.
Co-benefits
Economic The schemes are expected to drive investment of $13 million or more in new efficient boilers, helping to sustain work for the construction and heating sectors across the capital.
Environmental The London Boiler Cashback Scheme is reducing NOx emissions by around six metric tons per year, improving air quality in the capital.
Social The Better Boilers scheme supports up to 500 fuel-poor households. The scheme aims to support the most vulnerable and tackle growing fuel poverty in London.
Health Installing more efficient and safer boilers is expected to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from old boiler heating systems, reduce cold-related health conditions, and improve local air quality.
About London
London is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. London is a leading global city and is crowned as the world’s largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world. London is a world cultural capital and is the world’s most-visited city as measured by international arrivals. London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. London contains four World Heritage Sites and The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.
