A new study from James Lee, a research professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York, has found that gas boilers are the biggest source of air pollution in London.
The study also revealed that the replacement of natural gas with technologies such as heat pumps would see the complete local elimination of both GHG and pollutant emissions.
Martin Lewerth, Aira Group’s CEO, commented on the findings and highlighted the government’s role in removing the bureaucratic hurdles that are currently contributing to poor air quality and delaying the transition to eco-friendly heat pumps.
He said: “Despite being one of the most congested cities in the world, the single biggest source of air pollution in central London is no longer traffic, it’s gas boilers. This research makes it clear: we need to move away from gas boilers in favour of clean heat solutions, such as heat pumps, to improve air quality.
“While schemes like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme are a step in the right direction, we need the government to act decisively and rebalance the cost of electricity relative to gas, provide implementation dates for heat pump planning permission changes and revisit the gas boiler ban to accelerate the clean energy transition.
“These changes need to be handled with care, but failure to progress only causes more harm to people’s health, environment and finances. Now is the time for change.”