Millions of households right across the UK could potentially find themselves hit with fines of up to a whopping £10,000 for failing to replace their gas boiler.
It’s said that around 17 million UK homes still use gas boilers, but after it was revealed that almost a third of the country’s carbon emissions come from heating systems, ministers have warned that this must be rapidly cut if the country hopes to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
The government is therefore said to be discussing a cut-off date of 2035, when the use of gas boilers in existing homes would be phased out. Plenty of time… for most.
A selection of environmentally-friendly alternatives would be required instead.
It comes after reports that gas boilers will be banned in all new-build homes from 2023 – which is two years earlier than initially planned – and after the International Energy Agency (IEA) said last week that gas boilers should be banned from as early as 2025 to aid the fight against climate change.
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The @IEA just released the world’s first comprehensive roadmap for the global energy sector to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Our special report shows the pathway to net zero by 2050 is narrow but still achievable if governments act now.
According to Bloomberg News, it has been reported that government officials are planning to introduce penalties for those who do not comply with the planned eco rules, with enforcement options potentially including “the threat of financial penalties for non-compliance”.
If this presents itself as true, fines are expected to be at the centre of the net-zero plans due to be announced in the coming weeks.
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The IEA has also said that from now on, there is no place for new coal, oil, or gas exploration and supplies, and if the government adopts this advice, it will mean that all homes will eventually be required to have low-carbon alternatives to gas boilers fitted in their place.
So, what are the suggested alternatives then?
The first would be an eco-friendly heat pump – which has already faced criticism due to it’s largely unaffordable price that typically costs around £10,000 – and the other option would be to transform properties into electricity-only, with some homes in the UK already set up like this thanks to making use of electric-powered storage heaters, as opposed to radiators.
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There are currently around 30,000 heat pumps installed in the UK each year, but the government wants to significantly increase this to 600,000 per year by 2028.
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Heat pumps use a refrigerant to absorb natural heat found in the air, ground or water, which is then transferred to the cold water system in a house to heat it up and pump it to radiators and hot taps, and as the pumps also run on electricity, this can be sourced in more eco-friendly ways, including the use of solar panels.
A third option would be to install boilers that use hydrogen instead of carbonised gas, which is said to be much better for the environment due to the only by-product of burning hydrogen being water.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, many are speculating that the government’s unveiling of its net-zero plans expected in the coming weeks will bring answers to the conversation.
UK News
You can get FREE tickets to watch The Voice UK in Manchester
Thomas Melia
Fans of The Voice UK can apply to get free tickets to watch the filming of the upcoming series taking place right here in Manchester.
Anyone looking to get their late-night fix more up close and personal than just sitting on the sofa will be delighted to know that The Voice UK is returning, and you could see this show in the flesh.
The music competition show is returning to its usual filming spot right here in MediaCity UK in Salford and offers members of the public the chance to showcase their vocals in front of music icons.
The Voice is known for attracting some of the biggest musical stars, with judges of past seasons including Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Hudson, Meghan Trainor, Ricky Wilson and more.
Last year’s judges included American country-pop superstar LeAnn Rimes and the first-ever double-chair, which seated McFly members Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher.
Fortunately, these tickets aren’t to take part in the show, instead they’re to appear in the studio audience, although we all know Mancs love a good sing-along.
There are three various filming dates all taking place at MediaCity UK in Salford, meaning Mancs have a few opportunities to see the judges discover the next best thing in music.
Although the judging lineup for The Voice 2025 hasn’t been officially announced yet, there are two music mentors who have been on the show since it very first launched here in Britain.
Anyone considering attending is almost guaranteed to see the legendary Sir Tom Jones, as well as notable producer and recording artist Will.I.Am, as both music legends have been on the judges panel since it first aired back in 2012.
It is just us, or does it seem hard to believe it was that long ago?
The Voice UK starts filming at MediaCity UK in Manchester from Thursday, 5 June until the following Saturday (7 Jun), with tickets to all three dates still available HERE.
Featured Image — Okras (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Voice UK (screenshot via YouTube)
UK News
Liam and Noel spent a wholesome Gallagher Easter together for the first time in years
Danny Jones
We wish you a belated and brilliant Gallagher Easter, courtesy of Noel and Liam, who spent the holiday together, along with family members, for the first time in god knows how many years.
In all seriousness, we do hope you had a lovely long weekend, but we’ll admit we’re far more interested in the Gallagher brothers spending the bank holiday together than anyone else.
No offence.
As far as largely inane celebrity news, this particular brand is the kind we get up for, mainly because we have alerts on for everything Oasis and/or Gallagher-related since the long-awaited reunion was announced. Safe to say the algorithm knows exactly what we want.
So we had a BIBLICAL Easter Sunday Noel Donavan and Sonny popped over to ours for a cup of tea it was absolutely incredible to meet the young guvs i obviously blew there minds coz im cool as fuck you heard it here 1st LG x
Hopping on social media (let’s be honest, he’s never off it) to share the good news, Liam confirmed that he and his big bro spent at least part of the Easter break together, along with some of the Gallagher kids.
Noel’s daughter Anaïs and Liam’s youngest, Molly and Gene, may have been spotted together on multiple occasions recently and look to have buried the feud along with their dads, but to our knowledge this may have been the first time some of these kids have ever met their cousins.
While it wasn’t a complete family reunion, the idea of the Burnage boys sitting with a brew alongside their children is quite a surreal image to picture in our mind’s eye – but then again, so were those first snaps of the brothers together in the same room before the comeback was officially announced.
Donavan Gallagher was just two years old when Oasis split up back in 2009, so there’s the plenty of reason to assume he had at least seen the mini Manc before that point; second son Sonny, however, was only born in 2010, so LG may have never even seen him in the flesh before.
In fact, Noel has insisted in the past that his younger sibling hasn’t met his of his kids bar his eldest daughter, Anaïs. As the kids were present, we’re going to faithfully assume the rider consisted of strictly tea and chocolate.
Given the unprecedented meeting and the fact the communion took place over Easter, for once, Liam describing it as ‘biblical’ feels actually somewhat accurate.
Once again, we’re just glad to see and hear any positive stories about the Manc music icons and we just pray they keep up the families until the reunion world tour is over at the very least.
We were also delighted to see that Radio X once again voted an Oasis track as ‘the greatest British song ever’ – can you guess which one it is?
Emily Sergeant -
25th May 2021 
