Are gas boilers being banned in Ireland?

Rules checked against gov.ie, the Oireachtas record, the European Commission, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Citizens Information on 1 November 2026.

Yes. Nothing in Irish law stops a like-for-like gas boiler replacement in an existing home. Two rules apply to the job. The installer must be a Registered Gas Installer, because by law all gas work in Ireland is done by an RGI (CRU). And the new boiler should be a condensing boiler: a Dáil written answer on the Building Regulations says that "where oil and gas fired boilers are installed as replacements in existing dwellings", "they shall meet a minimum seasonal efficiency of 90% where practicable" (written answer, 25 October 2018). The current guidance is Technical Guidance Document L, 2022, which also carries a procedure for checking whether a condensing boiler can be fitted in an existing home.

In Dublin a like-for-like replacement typically costs €2,200–€3,300 fully installed with VAT (GB Gas Services, 19 October 2026). Every published Dublin price is on the boiler replacement cost page.

Because EU law now forbids it. Article 17(15) of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1275) requires member states to stop "any financial incentive" for new stand-alone fossil fuel boilers from 1 January 2025 at the latest (European Commission guidance, 17 October 2024). Ireland wrote it into law in the EU (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2024, S.I. No. 749/2024, signed on 19 December 2024: "public bodies shall not provide any financial incentives for the installation of stand-alone boilers powered by fossil fuels" (Oireachtas written answer, 18 February 2025).

The rule is about grants, not about the boiler. SEAI's Better Energy Homes Scheme already didn't pay for one: "The Better Energy Homes Scheme does not cover replacing a gas or oil boiler with a new gas or oil boiler." (Citizens Information, page edited 22 October 2026, checked 29 October 2026). The change that hit people hardest was the council's Housing Aid for Older People grant, which "will no longer be payable towards the cost of purchasing new oil or gas boilers" from 1 January 2025 (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, 18 December 2024). It still pays for repairing an existing oil or gas boiler, for a second-hand fossil fuel boiler fitted by a qualified contractor, and for radiators, pipework and oil tanks.

A boiler that works alongside a heat pump, a hybrid, can still get support where the renewable share is "considerable", and the support should be in proportion to that share (European Commission).

If the boiler is failing, replacing it with a new condensing gas boiler is legal, quick and costs the least up front. Dublin Gas Boilers says a well-maintained gas boiler lasts 15 to 20 years, so one fitted in 2026 would run to roughly 2041–2046 (our sum), around the EU's 2040 aim. Two things are worth weighing before you sign:

• Keep the door open to a heat pump. A heat pump uses a hot water cylinder. If you have one, a system boiler keeps it; ripping it out for a combi now means putting one back later. See switching to a combi.
• Price both. A heat pump costs more to fit but carries up to €14,500 in grants for a house. A gas boiler carries none. The sums are on gas boiler or heat pump.
• Repair first if it's young. A one-off fault on a younger boiler is often worth fixing. See repair or replace.