Developers could be banned from installing gas boilers in new homes from next year – five years ahead of originally proposed.

The ban was mooted in March by then Chancellor Philip Hammond who said that the Government would implement its Future Homes Standard by 2025, in a bid to reduce a property’s carbon footprint.

However at the weekend Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said that the plan would be accelerated as part of a package of green measures.

Experts said that switching new homes from gas boilers to alternatives such as air source heat pumps could add as much as £5,000 to the cost of a new home.

There are also concerns that heat pumps may be slow to warm up properties.

However, the Ministry of Housing is said to believe that costs will fall rapidly and heating bills will eventually be lower.

Interim measures are set to be introduced to stop developers side-stepping the new rules, for example by lodging planning applications early.