UK – Inside the Gateshead houses powered by hydrogen which could change how we heat our homes forever.
Northern Gas Network gave us a tour of their ‘hydrogen home’ to show how houses could be powered in a future free from natural gas.
It’s the home of the future that could mark the beginning of the end for heating out 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.
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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.
Mark Horsley, NGN CEO said:
What it really does is demonstrate it practically – you can talk about de-carbonising 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 minimum 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. Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.
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 low-carbon and energy-saving technologies.
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Inside the Gateshead houses powered by hydrogen which could change how we heat our homes forever, March 19, 2022