Baxi Heating is calling on the Government to mandate hydrogen-ready boilers for all new gas boiler installations by 2025.
Responding to the new report from the Hydrogen Taskforce, the company is also calling for £1 billion of investment to prepare the UK for hydrogen production, distribution and storage at scale, which will be necessary if the UK is to develop a hydrogen future and meet Net Zero.
Jeff House, Head of External Affairs for Baxi Heating, comments: “Baxi and others in the heating industry are preparing to deliver clean heating and play our part in tackling climate change. We now call on the government to match our commitment with a clear message that hydrogen is one of the key solutions to deliver Net Zero by committing £1 billion towards readying the UK for hydrogen in the upcoming Spending Review.
“From the consumer’s perspective, hydrogen will offer everything they value from their current heating solution, namely instantaneous heat and hot water delivered by the existing gas network. Hydrogen offers a straightforward and practical solution for the consumer and we urge government to prioritise it in its future plans.”
Launched this week in Parliament, the Hydrogen Taskforce brings together ten leading organisations at the heart of the UK energy system to offer a shared vision of the role of hydrogen in the UK’s transition to Net Zero.
The Taskforce has agreed a collective position on the next steps that must be taken to ensure the UK capitalises on an opportunity to decarbonise heat, which accounts for 37% of UK carbon emissions.
The Taskforce marked its launch with the publication of a report called The Role of Hydrogen in delivering Net Zero, which sets out actions that must be taken by industry and Government over the next five years to scale hydrogen applications, specifically its production, distribution and storage.
House continued: "Our membership of the Hydrogen Taskforce is a clear demonstration of our belief that hydrogen will play a key role in the future of heat.
"We are pioneering the use of hydrogen for heating, having already developed a ‘’hydrogen boiler’’, which can be initially installed to operate on natural gas then converted to hydrogen quickly and easily at a future date. This is known as a ‘’Hydrogen-Ready’’ boiler."
House believes that industry and government must collaborate closely to deliver Net Zero. “I would like to see public trials in occupied buildings of 100% hydrogen heating both in the domestic and commercial settings.
"Given the current UK domestic gas boiler market is around 1.6m units per year, a mandate that all boiler installations from 2025 are hydrogen-ready would mean that a significant proportion of the existing housing stock is prepared for a future changeover.
“The installation of ‘hydrogen ready’ boilers could begin long before 100% hydrogen is available within a locality by utilising the existing natural gas network. Once hydrogen is available, the hydrogen ready boilers can be simply and easily converted to hydrogen without the need for a new heating system.’’
Last month, the BMF also commented on the future of boilers and heating in its response to a governement consultation.
