27th July 2022 By neil merrett

Trade group IGEM has joined growing calls for the UK government to commit as soon as possible to the mandatory sale of boilers that can be converted to run fully on hydrogen

The government is coming under increasing pressure from industry bodies and environmental watchdogs to mandate sales of ‘hydrogen-ready’ boilers by 2025.

The Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (IGEM) said it shared the concerns of the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) that requirements were not yet in place to require that all boilers sold by the middle of this decade to be hydrogen ready. It also was critical of a failure to publish a planned consultation on hydrogen standards that would also seek feedback on plans to regulate the sale of hydrogen-ready boilers.  If passed into law, the proposals would require that any new boiler sold can be easily converted by an engineer to run on a full supply of hydrogen.

Hydrogen has zero carbon emissions at the point of use. A 100 per cent supply of the gas can therefore be used for heat in specially designed hydrogen boilers. However, generation of the gas is presently dependent on fossil fuels or other carbon intensive production methods at scale.

The government said it remains committed to publishing a consultation on proposals to ensure all boilers sold from 2026 were hydrogen-ready. However, no timescale has yet been set for when this consultation would be published.

IGEM’s calls for action to mandate sale of boilers that can be converted to run on hydrogen have been made in response to the publication in June of a CCC update report for MPs. The findings were highly critical of a perceived lack of progress to deliver on the UK’s net zero targets.   This included particular concern on the delivery of lower carbon buildings and heat that are a significant factor in the country’s 2050 net zero carbon transition.

Ian McCluskey, IGEM’s head of technical and policy, called for action to increase support for hydrogen use in place of natural gas for domestic heat.  This included backing the CCC’s call for more immediate action to introduce hydrogen-ready boilers.

He said, “IGEM is working closely with its gas network and industry partners, and we see first-hand the significant progress the industry is making on hydrogen pilots and projects across the UK. The government needs to be ready with appropriate policy and market levers once the safety, technical and feasibility cases have been satisfied.”

“We urge the government to expedite its consultation on domestic hydrogen-ready boilers.”

Mr McCluskey also urged the government to implement new business models that would improve assistance and policy for supplying hydrogen. These business models should include the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) capabilities to reduce emissions from generating hydrogen at scale.

IGEM said that concerns about the current high global prices for gas was driving a fresh assessment of the role that hydrogen might play in the UK energy mix. This would include issues such as whether it was possible to ensure lower carbon generation of the gas, either through electrolysis powered via renewable energy or by using producing ‘blue hydrogen’ with CCS.

IGEM added that the development and commercialisation of different approaches of hydrogen production were an important step to ensure supply chains can meet potential demand for the gas over the coming decades in a variety of areas such as transport of buildings.

The government is currently expected to take a decision by 2026 on whether it expects hydrogen to have a role in domestic heating alongside other low carbon alternatives to natural gas boilers.

This decision will be based on current research and a number of projects set to launch up to 2026 that will trial the use of hydrogen for heating homes using the existing network infrastructure and new boiler systems.  This will include a ‘hydrogen village’ trial expected to launch by 2025.

Tagged with: CCC Climate Change Committee (CCC) gas boilers Hydrogen Strategy hydrogen-ready Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) net zero

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