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Dec 29, 2023

Hydrogen heating is the next energy crisis in the making

Hydrogen has become the latest buzzword in theenergy transition debate. From

Hydrogen has become the latest buzzword in theenergy transition debate. From industry conferences to opinion pieces, the termhas made a sharp entry into climate discourse. But its proponents are notcoming from climate activism, or groups that have spent years warning of aclimate crisis. Instead, it is those most responsible for global warming – thefossil fuel companies – who are now extolling the virtues of hydrogen andpushing for its political support.

Faced with mounting public pressure ongovernments to tackle climate breakdown, hydrogen has become the emperor's newclothing for the oil and gas industry – a thinly veiled attempt for thesecompanies to stay relevant and profitable, and to stall a genuinely greentransition.

In the UK, this dynamic is playing out at large through theEnergy Bill, that is currently passing through the House of Lords and willthen move into the Commons. In 2021, the Government set out its vision for aso-called "low carbon" hydrogen strategy, which it said should play a criticalrole in the UK's transition to net zero. This strategy outlined a number ofpotential uses for hydrogen, including in industry, transport and for domesticheating. The strategy flagged the government's intention to set up trials ofhydrogen heating – beginning with a hydrogen neighbourhood trial by 2023,followed by a large hydrogen village trial by 2025, and potentially a hydrogentown pilot before the end of the decade.

Now, nearly two years on, hydrogen heating is a keycomponent of the Energy Bill, which would introduce a hydrogen levy on energybills, compel people in selected areas of the country to take part in hydrogenheating trials and extend gas companies’ right of entry into people's homes.Why is this a problem?

There are two ways of producing "low carbon" hydrogen -either using fossil gas with carbon capture and storage or using electricity. Both are extremely energy intensive, inefficientand costly. The gas industry is trying to paint hydrogen asthe future of home heating, because it will extend the lifespan of its assetsand infrastructure at a time when the world is waking up to the need to phaseout gas. But this is the next energy crisis in the making - for thesereasons it would be a disaster to heat our homes using hydrogen:

The evidence against hydrogen for heating in the UK is wellknown – a review of 32 independentstudies revealed that none of them support widespread use ofhydrogen for heating. The Government should be aware of this as the House ofCommons’ own Science and Technology Select Committee determined that lowcarbon hydrogen will at best have a limited role in heating homes. Accordingto an industry insider, the oil and gas companies arealso aware that hydrogen is a poor choice for heating, as reported by RechargeNews. The same insider has said that even cautious estimates suggest it would cost approximately £171billion to convert appliances and infrastructure to hydrogenacross the UK.

Despite the evidence, the Energy Bill iscurrently passing through the House of Lords including several measures thatwould be great for the hydrogen industry but pose real risks for citizens. Themain issues with the Energy Bill are that:

Energy billshave already more than doubled since 2021. Levies on gas andelectricity bills hit the poorest disproportionately, because they alreadyspend a greater percentage of their income on energy bills than wealthierpeople, according to the UK Energy Research Centre. The Government has notestimated the cost of the levy to energy users, suggesting that thisinformation is not relevant to Peers and MPs who will have the right to voteon the Bill.

Because the gasnetwork in the trial area will be converted to hydrogen, it will not bepossible to keep single households connected to fossil gas. In an interview,Professor David Cebon said that, if a resident chose not to cooperate with thetrial by refusing to have neither electric heating nor a hydrogen boilerinstalled, the gas companies would be in a difficult situation. If a householdneither disconnects from gas to switch to electric heating nor upgrades thepipes and appliances to be hydrogen ready, it would not be safe for the gascompany to start pumping hydrogen through the whole network. So, if anyhousehold refuses to collaborate, the gas company would either be unable tostart the trial or would have to force entry into that household and installan alternative heating system.

There is a real danger that the gas industry hasplayed a role in getting these measures into the Energy Bill – it has beencosying up to politicians and pushing hydrogen-for-heating for some time.Plenty of evidence shows lobbying of the UKGovernment, such as the hydrogen lobby's latest targeting of Labour and Conservative Party conferences. The Government also recently launched a consultationon mandating that all newly installed gas boilers be hydrogen ready from 2026,something the industry has been calling for. Another example includes CadentGas’ Head of external affairs boasting about meeting with Number 10 to discusshydrogen heating and the hydrogen village. Given the evidence against hydrogenfor heating, this paints a clear picture that the hydrogen provisions in theEnergy Bill are not based on science but on lobbying.

Jacob Young, Redcar's Conservative MP seems a primeexample of the strong ties between the hydrogen lobby and the Government. Untilrecently he was the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) onHydrogen, a group of MPs and Peers set up to work with businesses andorganisations to look at options to implement hydrogen projects and policies.The APPG's Secretariat receives funding from several gas companies, includingNorthern Gas Networks. Young has beencampaigning for his own constituents to become the test site for hydrogenheating – advocating for Redcar to take part in the hydrogen villagetrial. He has said that hydrogen is a ‘crucial part of theUK's green economy recovery’ that will create jobs in his constituency. Thecompany that would be responsible for running the trial and ultimately benefitfrom it is Northern Gas Networks. The other proposed location for the village trial isin Whitby, Ellesmere Port and would be run by Cadent Gas, which also funds theHydrogen APPG.

The current Energy Bill does not inspire confidencethat all the evidence is being properly considered. It seems clear to us that —intentionally or otherwise — Jacob Young and other UK politicians are acting inthe interests of the at-risk gas distributors and boiler makers. Whether theyare acting in the best interests of British consumers and the planet is anotherquestion.

In summary, the Government is pushing ahead withhydrogen for heating despite all the counterevidence: It will be more expensiveto run than both fossil gas and heat pumps, it is dangerously explosive, itcreates emissions that are hazardous to people's health, the requiredtechnology does not exist at scale, it would increase the UK's energyinsecurity, and it will worsen rather than address the climate crisis.

The gas industry is in favour of hydrogen for heatingbecause it would ensure that gas infrastructure and production is maintainedand continues to bring in profits. If the Government goes ahead with the Billit will cost citizens, play into the pockets of gas companies and delayimmediate and effective climate change mitigation. Instead, we need an EnergyBill that will serve people and planet.

When asked for comment, Northern Gas Networkscommented: "Hydrogen is being explored by the Government as one option for decarbonisinghome heating. It is cited in several Government documents including theHydrogen Strategy, Energy White Paper and Heat and Buildings Strategy. NorthernGas Networks was invited to put forward a proposal for a hydrogen village bythe Government and energy Regulator, Ofgem."

Cadent Gas also responded, stating that there were "counter views" that hydrogen was green and safe and that the company would give thegovernment technical and safety data. The company also said the Energy Bill'scurrent hydrogen levy would "support the production ofhydrogen to support industrial decarbonisation and support flexible powergeneration," but the"mechanism is not for hydrogen heating."Additionally, "The path towards theUK's 2050 net zero target will require us all to change and adapt ourbehaviour, and ultimately rely on new, and different types ofenergy. Hydrogen is one of the options being explored as part ofgovernment's ambitions to create a diversified and domestically-focused energystrategy. We will continue to work with industry partners, as well as local andcentral government as we collectively look for solutions as we move towards anet zero future."

Jacob Young MP did not respond to requests for comment.

Sarah Biermann Becker

Alexander Kirk