Everything You Need To Know About Hydrogen Boilers With SmartGas Solutions Edinburgh
So What Is The Changes We Are Likely To See With Hydrogen Boilers?
Hydrogen boilers are most definitely on the way and switching the UK’s gas supply to hydrogen has been met with widespread scepticism.
Some believe that this will lead to higher prices and less reliable heating, while others are concerned about the environmental impact of using such fuel. However, there are also some benefits associated with switching to hydrogen – for example, it is much more efficient than traditional gas boilers.
So whether you’re worried about the cost or concerned about sustainability, we want you to know what you need to know about these plans.
You may have heard about recent proposals in England by ministers intent on moving over towards a hydrogen economy as an eventual replacement for our current reliance on fossil fuels like gas and coal – though many remain dubious of its potential implications both environmentally and economically speaking. Whilst most changes won’t happen overnight (and likely won’t be complete until at least 2030), here’s what you need to keep in mind: Benefits of switching from Gas Boilers To Hydrogen Heating
One key advantage touted for transitioning away from traditional gas boilers is their comparative lack of emissions when compared with other forms of heating like oil or wood pellets; given that one significant driver behind developing renewables.
So Are Regular Gas Boilers Going To Be Banned?
There have been some recent headlines claiming that banning gas boilers come into effect in 2025, but this is only for newly constructed properties.
Existing homes with standard gas boilers will still be using natural gas as the primary heating fuel. That leaves 2 primary home heating solutions for the future: a Heat Pump or a boiler that runs on hydrogen.
How Will The Switch To Hydrogen Happen?
The UK government plans to replace natural gas with hydrogen gas as an environmentally friendly choice. The change won’t happen in one go but will happen gradually causing the least amount of problems and cost to you, the homeowner.
Manufacturers of boilers are currently working on a new standard that will make it possible for the UK to switch to 100% hydrogen in years to come.
There is still much to be learned about how best to install and operate hydrogen-ready boilers.
In the meantime, it’s important we have ‘hydrogen blend boilers’ ready for operation (learn more below).
We should know more by 2026 about how this switch will start to take place but this is the current plan.
The first stage would involve using it as a supplementary heating fuel for existing homes. The second stage would involve using it as the main heating fuel for newbuilds. And finally, the third stage would involve retrofitting older homes with hydrogen-powered technology.
Phase 1
Involves using it as a supplementary heating fuel for existing homes
Phase 2
Would involve using it as the main heating fuel for newbuilds
Phase 3
Would involve retrofitting older homes with hydrogen-powered technology
What Is A Hydrogen Boiler?
A hydrogen boiler burns its fuel with a slight difference from gas boilers. This creates the need for a slightly different design in hydrogen boilers.
This change is minimal though considering the massive benefit of decarbonising our homes.
It may seem like a big change away from natural gas but in all reality, you won’t see any noticeable changes to your current set-up.
How Much Will A Hydrogen Boiler Cost Compared To Natural Gas Boilers?
The good news is that major boiler manufacturers have noted that they won’t cost any more than the gas boiler you may already have.
The other good news is that essentially works the same so ongoing maintenance and installation shouldn’t increase in price either.
What's The Point In Changing To Hydrogen?
The main reason is lowering CO2.
Fossil fuels like natural gas produce carbon dioxide which is a major contributor to global warming and subsequently the changing climates over the world.
The only by-product of hydrogen is water so this is a massive win all around.
This will play a huge part in reaching net zero by 2050.
When Will We Switch To Hydrogen Boilers Likely Happen?
It is uncertain when, but we are likely to see the hydrogen blend (20%) added within the next 10 years. A switch to 100% hydrogen will take longer and most people will be ready for this change by then.
Hydrogen boilers are essentially decarbonising our homes and this is the main plus of the fuel. Heat pumps will also play a big part in this and will still work in homes in Scotland. You can find out more about them in this Air Source Heat Pumps article.
What Does A Hydrogen Blend Ready Boiler Actually Mean?
Part of the switch to hydrogen will include a phase of running a mixture of natural gas (80%) and hydrogen (20%).
This ‘blend’ of fuels will help towards switching towards 100% hydrogen but the good news is that current boilers will not have to be adapted to accept this blend.
As the switch to 100% isn’t likely to be anytime soon (decades rather than years), this will future-proof your current home heating setup.
Will My Gas Boiler Still Work With 100% Hydrogen?
When the eventual switch to 100% hydrogen happens you will either require a Hydrogen ready boiler or your current boiler will need a modification.
This mod will mainly be around the burner itself and will likely only take a Gas Safe engineer 1 hour to complete. This will be a qualification similar to that given to engineers that can work on LPG for example. All our engineers at SmartGas will be Hydrogen ready when the time comes.
If you need any more info on Hydrogen boilers or have any more questions then please, get in touch.