"‘Drop-in’ replacement for gas boilers may help tackle challenge of cutting emissions from home heating"

"The creators of the world’s first microwave-powered boiler have said it can provide a straightforward, zero-emissions replacement for the gas boilers that heat most homes in the UK.

The boiler uses electricity to heat water which can then be pumped through existing radiators and to taps and showers and baths. The company, Heat Wayv, is building prototypes and expects to trial the boilers in homes by the end of 2022, with the first sales to customers targeted for 2024. It says a unit suitable for a three- or four-bedroom home would cost about £3,500, the same as an equivalent gas boiler.

Heating produces 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions, and is one of the most difficult obstacles in the drive to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Gas boilers will be banned in new-build homes from 2025 and are expected to be phased out entirely by the mid 2030s."

Damian Carrington reports for the Guardian March 16, 2021. [2]