The UK Government is still assessing the likely role of hydrogen in domestic heating[1]. Whilst that assessment process goes on, Wales & West Utilities have partnered with a social landlord to fit out a home with a hydrogen heating system for research purposes. As well as having a chance to cook pancakes on a hydrogen hob, we also got to see the house and the hydrogen heating system. Here’s what they told us:
The UK’s energy system is undergoing sweeping changes, from some of the biggest offshore wind developments in the world to the rapid growth in household solar. But there’s still a long way to go to make even our electricity system ‘net zero’ – let alone the rest of the energy we use.
Across the UK, we still use 2-3 times more gas than electricity across the economy, especially for heating in winter. And as we know, gas we use now – methane – releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when we burn it, which is contributing to climate change.
Hydrogen doesn’t contain any carbon and when burnt it does not produce any carbon dioxide – just water and heat. Switching to hydrogen could allow us to replace gas with a cleaner, more environmentally friendly alternative using much of the same infrastructure.
In partnership with Codi Group, Wales & West Utilities has developed Cartrefi Hydrogen Home project which gives a glimpse into how hydrogen can be used in a real-life setting to help meet decarbonisation challenges.
The project, which was part-funded by the Welsh Government’s Optimised Retrofit Program (ORP) as a test and learn project, has seen a traditional terraced home undergo a deep retrofit to address existing energy efficiency needs, with hydrogen boiler and cooker installations added afterwards as low‑carbon gas alternatives.
The home is now heated with green hydrogen – a gas produced by using electrolysis from renewable electricity and water – making it Wales’ first hydrogen home, and the first retrofit project of its kind in the UK.
It isn’t part of a wider plan to convert local homes to hydrogen – it’s an evidence gathering project to test how hydrogen works in a real life environment.
Wales & West Utilities has taken away lots of learnings to use internally and share with the wider industry. That includes applied learning – training staff to be aware of how hydrogen gas behaves – and updating processes and policies to be ready for hydrogen use across different sectors in the future.
There’s a long way to go on hydrogen – not least scaling up the very small amount of low carbon hydrogen which is produced today. It’s likely to be some time until it’s a viable option for homes. But to decarbonise our energy system as quickly as the climate emergency demands we can’t leave any stone unturned.
You can visit the Cartrefi Hydrogen Home for yourself in 2026-27 to see it for yourself. Contact [email protected] to request a visit.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-heating-overview/hydrogen-heating-overview–2