Could these new H2 omes
IT’S the home of the future that could mark the beginning of the end for heating our homes with gas.
With energy bills soaring as gas prices rise, the need for an alternative to the costly fuel has rarely felt more pressing, while the ongoing climate crisis means it’s vital we find a way to cut carbon emissions in everyday life.
And these ordinary-looking Gateshead houses could be home to the solution: hydrogen power.
Located on the Northern Gas Networks (NGN) site in Low Thornley the ‘hydrogen homes’ form part of a bid to show that the eco-friendly fuel could be a safe and efficient replacement for natural gas. The Government has already indicated it believes hydrogen power has a “critical role” to play in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and these homes help show how it would work.
They’re fitted with hydrogen gas appliances including cookers and hobs, fires and boilers and a hydrogen meter. But aside from running on a different fuel, they work in the same way as the appliances we’re used to.
The key difference is that burning hydrogen doesn’t produce greenhouse gas carbon dioxide when it’s burnt and, if produced using electricity from renewable sources, can be entirely carbon-free.
Built in partnership with fellow gas distributor Cadent and the Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the homes are stocked with Uk-manufactured ‘hydrogen ready’ boilers, which could work on the existing gas network and convert easily to hydrogen if the country reaches the point of converting.
NGN CEO Mark Horsley said: “What it really does is demonstrate it practically – you can talk about decarbonising heat and the avenues that are available but nothing beats actually seeing it. I always say when people come here I hope they are underwhelmed because actually, it’s just what they have now – if you’re changing habits, you want the mini
mum amount of change to what people are used to.”
He said that the push for a cut in carbon emissions required a number of different green solutions, but that hydrogen power, which NGN tests have shown could run through the existing networks to replace natural gas, could be a key part of that. Transported by the existing gas network and compatible with current pipes and radiators, a switch would only require a change in appliances.
Alongside the hydrogen-heated home, NGN are currently constructing a number of new houses in the style of older buildings, like those found in streets across the North East, to assess the efficacy of different lowcarbon and energy-saving technologies.
With the cost of living currently soaring, and the UK’S reliance on foreign gas thrown into sharp relief by the attempt to stop buying oil from Russia, technologies like these could offer hope for cleaner and cheaper energy in the future. But, Mr Horsley acknowledged, the bid to cut carbon out of our homes won’t be bringing down our bills yet – and will come with a cost.
He said: “At the moment we all know and recognise that energy prices are high for a number of reasons, from the pandemic to the geopolitical events that we are all aware of. The market will eventually start to settle itself but we must get away from fossil fuels for the future.
“Our vision is to have hydrogen created by electrolysis from natural wind and solar resources. I don’t think we can ever escape the fact that de-carbonisation is going to cost money because it’s a transformational change, but what we are trying to do is to minimise that cost to consumers and minimise the disruption in their lives.”
I always say when people come here I hope they are underwhelmed because actually, it’s just what they have now
MARK HORSLEY