Future developments in energy
An environmentally-friendly alternative to natural gas, hydrogen heating is becoming a much-talked-about topic – particularly in the North East, where residents of Winlaton, Gateshead, will be the first community to receive hydrogen blended gas.
‘Northern Gas Networks have been working on a major project that will see residents in Winlaton receiving hydrogen blended gas on a public gas network,’ explains Amy. ‘The introduction of the hydrogen blend requires no installation as it can run through existing boilers and, while it is only a 20% blend of hydrogen vs 80% natural gas, its benefits are expected to be huge. In fact, it’s estimated that if we all used hydrogen blended energy in the UK, we’d see the same environmental impact as we would if we took 2.5 million cars off the road!’
The hydrogen blend is an interim measure to help make a significant, positive impact on the environment, while 100% hydrogen boilers are being developed by major suppliers including Worcester Bosch and Baxi.
‘At Gas Angel Heating, we’re passionate about doing what we can to limit the impact of natural gas on the environment,’ Amy continues. ‘As such, we’ve been running initiatives such as our JUST ONE Tree project – which involves planting two trees for every boiler cover customer each year. And I think the fact that we have had so many customers approach us and ask to be put on the waiting list for our hydrogen-ready boilers shows just how climate-conscious our customer base is.’
Heat currently makes up 41% of the energy landscape and is therefore a significant contributor to our carbon footprint. It is hoped that, by 2025, the 20% hydrogen blend will be available to thousands of homes around the UK and that, by 2030, there will be a full 100% hydrogen switch over.
To find out more about hydrogen heating, read Gas Angel’s blog here.