First hydrogen-powered homes to open their doors

The UK’s first homes with household appliances fuelled entirely by hydrogen are set to be built in Low Thornley, Gateshead, providing the public a glimpse into the potential home of the future where no carbon emissions are released.

The two semi-detached homes, funded with the help of the UK government’sHy4Heat Innovation programme, will open in April2021, showing how hydrogen has the potential to be used as a clean replacement to natural gas in the home.

The hydrogen houses are intended to have a three-year lifespan, but potentially longer, up to ten years. They are not intended to be habitable, but to showcase the use of hydrogen-fuelled applications in a real-world domestic setting.

The hydrogen house project is aligned with a larger scheme detailed in the Prime Minister’sTen point plan which also includes establishing a Hydrogen Neighbourhood, and to the development of plans for a potential Hydrogen Town before the end of this decade.

The houses will use 100 per cent hydrogen for domestic heating and cooking in appliances including boilers, hobs, cookers and fires.

Unlike natural gas, which is responsible for over 30 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions, hydrogen produces no carbon at the point of use, with the only by-product being water.

Hydrogen could play a vital role in achieving the government’s commitment of eliminating the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050, with the industry creating up to 8,000 jobs across Britain’s industrial heartlands and beyond by 2030, potentially unlocking up to 100,000 jobs by 2050.

Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “From running a hot bath and cooking our evening meals to turning on the heating, most of us use natural gas every day. However, to tackle climate change, we need to find alternatives to fossil fuels and move towards making clean energy the norm.”

The project secured a £250,000 grant from the government’sHy4Heat Innovation programme and is being run by gas company Northern Gas Networks and Cadent, who have both also input £250,000 of funding each.

The houses are planned to be open to members of the public, who will be able to view appliances and see how they compare to existing ones. Local schools, colleges and universities will also be welcomed to learn about the new technology, as well as potential careers in the emerging green economy.

The announcement comes ahead of government plans to publish its Hydrogen Strategy later this year, which will outline plans to build a UK hydrogen economy.