Prof David Rooney, from Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, researches energy systems.
He said the gas industry in Great Britain has much more history behind it, while Northern Ireland was slow to catch up.
“It grew quickly in GB during the 1970s due to the North Sea fields, but gas was only introduced to Northern Ireland in 1996,” he explained.
“The grid is still being developed here and even places like Lisburn only had the option in the last few years.”
He said that as a result there is an issue of convenience for users.
“Basically, if a boiler lasts you 15 years or so then you will likely wait quite some time to consider swapping out oil for gas,” he said.
“This is where the incentives are needed and price comes into play.
“On average oil is cheaper to use for heating than gas, so you will need to want to pay more because it is lower carbon, smaller footprint and cheaper than electric cooking etc.”