Hydrogen could ‘nearly double’ cost of heating a home compared with gas

(The Guardian, 26 Sep 2022) Using hydrogen would add about 70% to home energy bills, according to a report by a renewable energy charity.

Ministers’ plans to pin the UK’s energy hopes on hydrogen could nearly double the cost of heating a home by the end of the decade compared with natural gas, research has shown.

Using hydrogen for home heating could prove much a more expensive option than natural gas, according to the leading energy analysts Cornwall Insight. Between now and 2050, when the UK is legally bound to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions, using hydrogen would add about 70% to home energy bills compared with using gas, according to the report, commissioned by renewable energy charity MCS Foundation.

Jitendra Patel, senior consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “While hydrogen does have a part to play in the decarbonisation pathway, through for example use in the industrial sectors and in the use of surplus electricity, current and forecast costs all show it is simply uneconomical to use 100% hydrogen fuel for heating our homes.”

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The Guardian, 26 Sep 2022: Hydrogen could ‘nearly double’ cost of heating a home compared with gas