Hydrogen for domestic heating is not going to happen

Experts have been saying for years that hydrogen is not a sensible solution for home heating on any scale. However gas suppliers and gas suppliers are very keen to convince us of the opposite. This has been going on for a long time and the government has been sitting on the fence. The Heat and Buildings Strategy published in 2021 delayed the decision until at least 2026 – after trials at village and town scale. However, the village trial – at Whitby – has been cancelled after massive opposition from the residents. Now Grant Shapps, the Energy Minister, has indicated that it is ‘less likely’ that hydrogen would ever be piped into people’s home, because of issues on cost, safety, and continuing reliance on fossil fuels.

What are the other options?

Do you have a low carbon heating strategy for your home? Have you been crossing your fingers and hoping for hydrogen? Unfortunately this is looking ever more unlikely. Alternatives include various sorts of heat pump, electric storage boilers and direct electric radiators. For a small proportion of homes, bottled biogas could be a solution but supplies for biogas are limited and they will also be in great demand for industrial uses. (There will be an Open Eco Homes talk on low carbon heating options on 9th October. This should be announced mid August.)

What is wrong with hydrogen? 

Hydrogen does have some advantages and we will certainly need some for use in industry, but not for domestic heating. Lobbyists claims that hydrogen would be cheap, safe and clean. They are being economical with the truth. 

Hydrogen is similar to natural gas for air pollution and explosions,

Like natural gas, hydrogen burns cleanly in domestic appliances, although, as with natural gas, nitrogen oxides are also produced. This is because the high temperatures trigger nitrogen in the atmosphere to oxidise. On the plus side there is no need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning with hydrogen. However there is always a risk of leaks and explosions. 

Converting the grid will be disruptive for everyone – and customers will have no choice.

Hydrogen burns at a higher temperature and requires different fuel-air ratios to natural gas, so every appliance using it would have to be changed, including every boiler, gas fire and gas hob. To do this, the gas grid would be converted in sections. When each section is switched over all customers in it must have all their appliances switched and no-one gets any more gas until it is done! It could easily take a few days for each section. Customers would have to be prepared in advance with ‘hydrogen ready’ appliances that have a conversion kit. They would have no choice as their old appliances would not work safely with hydrogen. Also each customers's gas pipework would have to be checked, and possibly replaced, as hydrogen leaks much more easily than natural gas. All in all converting the grid is doable but a massive undertaking.

Heat pumps would be cheaper to run.

Running costs would increase. The cheapest way to produce hydrogen is by reforming methane gas but to produce low carbon hydrogen we would also need carbon capture and storage. In 2021 the overall cost for this approach was estimated at £60/MWh, which is about twice the current wholesale price of natural gas. This is still cheaper than producing hydrogen from clean electricity, unless the electricity was surplus to (other) requirements and free or virtually free. We can certainly make some hydrogen from spare power but not enough for everyone. Either way It looks like we can expect hydrogen to cost about twice as much as natural gas does now. Even with the cost of electricity at five times the cost of gas, running a heat pump will be cheaper.

Hydrogen is a powerful greenhouse gas, albeit indirect.

Hydrogen has no greenhouse gas impacts of itself, but it increases the lifetime of other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere including methane and ozone. There are quite a lot of natural sources of both, especially methane so this is not avoidable. Tonne for tonne, the GWP of hydrogen is less than that of methane but there will probably be more leakage as it escapes so easily. For example most of our distribution grid is made of MDPE pipe; hydrogen molecules are so small they can diffuse through the plastic. In fact methane does this too but hydrogen does it five times faster.

Upstream methane leakage could be 10 times worse than previously thought.

Besides which, if hydrogen is made from methane – which is inevitable given the quantities required - there would be leakage from the supply chain to worry about. Until recently leaks have been very difficult to detect and measure, but now we can do so from satellites and from drone surveys. For example, satellite data was used to measure leaks from the Nord Stream pipelines that were attacked last year. New surveys suggest that leakage could be 7-10 times more than was previously assumed which would make methane worse for GHG impacts than some types of coal. The industry has formed the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGIS) to promote best practice and reduce emissions but this is voluntary. Some of the worst offenders are in ex-soviet union countries like Turkmenistan.

Industrial use of hydrogen can be achieved with low impact – hopefully.

Small amounts of hydrogen can be produced cleanly from renewable energy with no upstream emissions. If leakage is managed carefully, this should be clean enough and adequate for industrial use. However, the scenario of converting the gas grid and piping hydrogen into people’s homes is going to mean much more leakage, and inevitable climate impacts. In any case, it is more efficient to use hydrogen to generate electricity to drive a heat pump than to burn hydrogen at home directly. 

In conclusion:

Hydrogen for home heating is not clean, not cheap, not simple to install, won’t be practical for decades and remains a greenhouse gas. However other options are available. Quite a few members of the energy group have heat pumps already (and are happy with them) while some others have electric storage boilers, relying on cheap rate electricity. Please do not support the gas industry lobbyists by accepting their delaying tactics, even if It is not practical for you to go low carbon just yet.

Sources

Gas suppliers and gas suppliers are very keen to convince us that hydrogen is suitable for home heating.

Revealed: Media Blitz Against Heat Pumps Funded by Gas Lobby Group (DeSmog) July 2023

This has been going on for years.

Is the gas industry promoting uncertainty as a delaying tactic (Energy Thoughts and Surprises) 2020

The Heat and Buildings Strategy published in 2021 delayed the decision until at least 2026.

Review of the Heat and Buildings Strategy (Energy Thoughts and Surprises) 2021

The village trial – at Whitby – has been cancelled after massive opposition from the residents

Hydrogen village trial in Whitby rejected (Energy Live News) July 2023

First hydrogen boiler trial scrapped due to concerns from local residents (Home Building News) July 2023

Grant Shapps, … has indicated that it is ‘less likely’ that hydrogen would ever be piped into people’s home

UK poised to drop plans to replace home gas boilers with hydrogen alternatives (Guardian) July 2023

the overall cost for this approach was estimated at £60/MWh

Hydrogen Production Costs 2021 (BEIS) 2021

which is about twice the current wholesale price of natural gas

Wholesale Market Indicators (OFGEM) 

Hydrogen has no greenhouse gas impacts of itself, but it increases the lifetime of other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere including methane and ozone.

Atmospheric implications of increased Hydrogen use (DESNZ and BEIS) April 2022

satellite data was used to measure leaks from the Nord Stream pipelines 

Satellites detect methane plume in Nord Stream leak (European Space Agency) Oct 2022

In fact methane [leaks through plastic pipes] too but hydrogen does it five times faster

Evidence does not support view that existing gas network can safely handle blend of hydrogen and methane, says US government (Hydrogen Insight) Jan 2023

New surveys suggest that leakage could be 7-10 times more than was previously assumed

What Is An Acceptable Methane Leakage Rate? (CleanTechnica) July 2023

The industry has formed the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership ... but this is voluntary

UNEP: Oil and Gas Methane Partnership Initiative to Manage Methane Emissions from Upstream Oil and Gas Operations (globalmethane.org) 

Some of the worst offenders are in ex-soviet union countries like Turkmenistan

 ‘Mind-boggling’ methane emissions from Turkmenistan revealed (Guardian) May 2023