Four major boiler manufacturers have pledged that their hydrogen-ready boilers will not be more expensive to buy than their natural gas-only equivalents. The joint initiative, involving Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Baxi and Ideal, is a price promise aimed at saving consumers money and supporting the UK’s net zero commitments.
The Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) – a body that represents the interests of boiler manufacturers and energy suppliers – brokered the deal among the ‘big four’, which could save consumers up to £2.3billion.
Hydrogen-ready boilers can be installed to run on natural gas, but are designed so that modifications taking less than an hour can transform them to run on hydrogen fuel in the future. It is claimed that hydrogen-ready boilers will work in the same way as natural gas boilers, using many existing components and technologies, with no changes required to pipework, radiators or the installation of a water tank.
CEO of the EUA, Mike Foster, says this commitment will force many industry experts to rethink their models:
“The Committee on Climate Change, which advises the government, assumed that a hydrogen-ready boiler would cost £100 more than a natural gas boiler and that the total cost to consumers of decarbonising their homes would be £2.3 billion. The price promise is a great deal for consumers.
“The boiler manufacturers have developed a boiler that works; they support a 2025 mandatory roll-out of the technology and now they’ve found a way to keep costs down. The Big Four boiler companies compete ferociously against each other, but they have come together for the benefit of UK consumers and the good of the planet.”
