Hydrogen: The future of Home Heating?
We are set to radically change the way we heat our homes over the next decade.
Encouraging homeowners to change their mindset about heating will always be challenging due to its fundamental nature of changing habits and behaviour.
That's why top companies in the UK energy sector have joined forces to start the Hello Hydrogen campaign. It includes gas networks, boiler makers, and energy organisations, all working together to talk about hydrogen.
Together, they want the Government to bring to an end the speculation on the future direction of this important topic and give the industry much-needed guidance so they can prepare.
We all know the future of transport will be low carbon and every home will one day have a smart meter.
But what about how we heat our homes? At present, home heating accounts for 14% of the nation's carbon emissions, with widespread consensus on the imperative to reduce this figure.
The leading contender to replace boilers is heat pumps, which utilise electricity. It is expected that eventually, the electricity will be from renewable and low-carbon sources by 2035.
Similar to the limitations faced by some homes in accommodating solar panels, it's evident that until heat pumps become more compact, simpler to install, and more affordable, many households will encounter difficulties in adopting this technology.
Hello Hydrogen believe one option is to use low carbon hydrogen gas to heat homes.
Boiler manufacturers are ready and willing to start to mass produce Hydrogen Ready boilers that can work with both methane (natural gas) and then be easily converted to 100% hydrogen gas. Most boilers sold today are able to run on a 20% blend of hydrogen and 80% natural gas.
Hydrogen-ready boilers will be the same size as traditional boilers, will work in the same way and will cost the same as a traditional boiler to buy and install without any costly prerequisite alterations needed to home insulation or the heating system.
Many types of home may find hydrogen the most appealing option, such as a city centre flat, or a terraced house. Hello Hydrogen believe this will be a route for them with hydrogen flowing through the gas grid into the homes instead of natural gas.
It is all about choice. This is not Betamax versus VHS. This is about what will work for individual homes and budgets. In the same way our homes have run on different forms of energy for generations – gas and electricity – we need to have an approach that will meet the needs of the widest number of people. The heating industry is a traditional one, boilers are a low interest category (unless they break down) but with sustainability and carbon reduction high on everyone’s agenda, that has changed, and we need to have people preparing for the future today, because tomorrow will be too late.
Reducing the carbon emissions from homes remains a key focus for the campaign but members recognise that households have to feel empowered to make those changes.
Hello Hydrogen chair Victoria Billings from Worcester Bosch said: “We tend not to think a great deal about our heating until it goes wrong. Habits like turning on the heating or setting the thermostat have become second nature to people, so, we know whatever the future looks like, it must be straightforward and easy. Changing learned habits is difficult.”
Hydrogen-ready boilers have been developed as part of a UK Government innovation programme to support community trials around the UK.
An example of a hydrogen trial is SGN's H100, in which 300 homes will be connected to a hydrogen network constructed in the residential streets around Buckhaven, alongside the existing natural gas pipework.
Over the next 5 years, these new zero-carbon boilers could be mass produced, but we need clarity from the Government on the future of gas boilers and home heating.
The Hello Hydrogen campaign also believes this opportunity for creating a renewable future will also bring other opportunities for jobs and growth for the UK.
In the UK, there are currently 120,000 Gas Safe registered engineers. Making the switch to installing hydrogen boilers is expected to be simple and require no more than a half-day of training and accreditation, thanks to the components being similar to those on a traditional boiler. Engineers would receive training within their current roles, much like upskilling to LPG today.
The industry also believes there is the opportunity to create thousands of new jobs in the UK as part of the green economy and have the backing of some of the biggest trade unions.
Producing hydrogen in the UK is also expected to be a big opportunity – leaving us no longer reliant on gas from overseas. The Government recognised this earlier in the year by doubling the hydrogen production target from 5GW to 10GW by 2030.
In the 2020 Climate Assembly, 83% of the participants ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that hydrogen should be part of the solution for zero carbon heating (along with 80% for heat pumps and heat networks, respectively), which is a helpful indicator of societal backing for multiple solutions and choice.
Clearly the future for UK energy and home heating will be with producing our own energy. Green hydrogen can be produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen with electricity generated from renewable methods – creating more jobs and leaving the UK in a stronger position for energy security and reducing emissions.
But with anything new, it takes a long time to get there. That is why the conversation is starting today, because sitting on our hands is no longer an option for keeping them warm.