New study reveals unexpected benefit of banning common heating systems: 'A no-regret mitigation option'

Fresh research from France shows that a European ban on dirty energy heating can have significant positive impacts, according to Electropages.

The paper, which was published in Nature Communications, said banning boiler heaters is a "no-regret mitigation option" and can move the entire industry toward less-polluting options. This is especially timely as the European Union mulls a ban on boilers across all member states.

France has had an active ban on new gas boiler installations since 2021 but scrapped plans for the ban to extend to existing homes in 2023. The goal here was to promote domestic heat pump production and installation, which the research forecasts will lead to a 12% reduction in energy use by 2050.

Researchers at CIRED-CNRS built a model with data from the period of the ban in France. They then ran 11,664 economic and policy scenarios through the model. The result? Over 75% of the scenarios showed that the ban improved the likelihood of reaching carbon neutrality, reducing costs, and mitigating the disadvantages of low-income populations with subsidies.

Heat pumps are a great way of getting off of gas heating. They work well in both summer and winter, and since they operate very efficiently, they can save owners a few bucks on monthly utility bills.

The reduced energy use also means less pollution going into the atmosphere and harming the environment. The added bonus of ditching gas also means fewer pollutants floating around the home. If you're in the market to switch over to heat pumps, check out the EnergySage Heat Pump Marketplace.

Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?

Europeans on Reddit have had mixed feelings about getting rid of boilers altogether in favor of heat pumps.

"The ban for new houses can't come soon enough, but replacing it in older homes will be very problematic," said one r/ireland community member.

"We managed to halve our yearly electric bill with the heat pump and updated air heating's exchanger combo, so it'll pay itself back eventually," said one r/europe member who had already made the switch. "Might be even faster now that the electricity prices have gone up."

Should the government be able to control how we heat our homes?

Definitely 👍