Hydrogen Ready Boilers: The Future of Heating Our Homes?

With our environment in crisis, the UK government has set some serious targets to meet its carbon-neutral goals by 2050. As part of that, hydrogen is likely going to become a low-carbon alternative to natural gas in the coming years.

The National Grid Hydrogen Project sets out to get the ball rolling on this by trialling hydrogen appliances in over 300 homes in Scotland, and if this is a success, we’ll see this becoming a nationwide scheme.

But what is a hydrogen-ready boiler? And will your traditional gas boiler become obsolete in Eastbourne? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is a hydrogen boiler?

It’s not yet possible to have a fully hydrogen boiler. However, hydrogen-ready boilers have been developed by Worcester Bosch, Viessmann, and BAXI, which can run on both natural gas and hydrogen.

They look exactly the same as a standard boiler and are installed in the same way. Once hooked up to the mains, they will simply be supplied with hydrogen instead of natural gas once the government starts making the changeover.

Are gas boilers going to be banned?

New builds won’t be allowed to be fitted with a natural gas boiler from 2025. However, older homes can still have these installed and if you already have a standard gas boiler, you won’t be forced to have it changed over.

In the coming decades when gas boilers are phased out, we’ll be heating our homes either with hydrogen or a heat pump.

The transition to hydrogen

There’s no set date for the change over to hydrogen, and as it stands, it’s still a work in progress. So, if you’ve just installed a brand-new gas boiler, don’t panic – you’ll be using it for the next 10 or 15 years.

If you are going to need a new boiler in the coming years, it might be good to look at a hydrogen-ready model, so you’re prepared. Luckily, they are on the market and priced similarly to standard models.

It’s thought that hydrogen-ready boilers will be widely available from 2025 onwards.

The long-term goal is to have all new homes running on hydrogen by 2050, with a push to get existing stock on the new supply as well.

Interested in a hydrogen-ready boiler in Eastbourne?

If you’re looking to the future and want to get your Sussex home ready for the switch over, we can help. Our team can install and maintain a hydrogen-ready boiler for you, so your home is ready for the switch-over in the future.

If you’re unsure, we can walk you through how these new models work and show you the differences in installation and maintenance. In the meantime, your boiler will run like normal, but you’ll find it much easier to switch in the coming years.

Call us today for more information and a free call-out: 01323 648 083