The UK energy industry has launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness of hydrogen gas as an alternative fuel for heating homes, and urging government to commit to a hydrogen future.
The ‘Hello Hydrogen’ Campaign (www.hellohydrogen.com) is backed by gas distribution networks, boiler manufacturers and energy suppliers, which hope the information hub will teach people about new hydrogen ready-boilers and cookers.
The campaigners claim a switch from natural gas to hydrogen for home heating could cut CO2 emissions by 20 million tonnes a year, but the industry says it wants clear guidance from the government that it remains committed to hydrogen as it steps up efforts to develop the necessary technology.
Producing hydrogen for homes in the UK could also create tens of thousands of jobs and help the country avoid future cost of living crises by ending its reliance on natural gas from overseas, the campaign says.
Hello Hydrogen will also highlight the ease with which homes will be able to install the new hydrogen-ready boilers like-for-like with old ones at the end of their life in a cost- efficient way – especially in households where they might not have space for alternative future heating options like heat pumps.
Commenting on the launch of the Hello Hydrogen campaign, campaign director, Angela Needle says: “As people start to turn on their heating again, we think now is the perfect time to begin the conversation about how we will all heat our homes in the future.
“We want households to know that there will be numerous ways to warm up their radiators or cook their dinner and hydrogen could be the right choice for them. For too long, consumers have only heard about expensive options that take up lots of space, to make their homes greener. We want them to know other more affordable choices will be available.”
“We now need the government to get behind our campaign and show real commitment to a hydrogen future so theenergy sector can start the huge investment needed to make it a reality.”
Campaign chair, Victoria Billings of Worcester Bosch, adds: “The industry is coming together to build a hydrogen future that means household bills are no longer linked to global events.
“That’s why we’ve launched the Hello Hydrogen campaign to make sure consumers are kept fully informed of the choices they have for the future of heating their homes.
“We want hydrogen-ready boilers to play their part in heating homes across the country, knowing they will fit in thesame place as traditional boilers and will cost the same price, but we need to know the Government are fully behind hydrogen as a choice for millions of households.”
