✔ Hydrogen boilers are still in the prototype stage
✔ Once developed, they could cost anywhere between £570 and £2,700
✔ It’s estimated to cost roughly £960 to heat a home with green hydrogen
Gas boilers are gradually on the way out, meaning the energy industry is having to roll out effective alternatives (check out the cost of a new boiler).
In a bid to reduce emissions, the UK government is aiming to phase out 80% of gas boilers by 2035 – whether we’ll reach that goal or not depends on how effectively green alternatives are rolled out.
But how will we heat our homes beyond this date? Many government reports are pointing to hydrogen to do the job.
If the right infrastructure is put in place over the next decade, we could see some Brits swapping old gas boilers for hydrogen ones – but how much will it cost?
What’s on this page?
How much does a hydrogen boiler cost?
Hydrogen boilers are currently in the prototype stage, which means it’s unclear how much they’ll cost once they’re rolled out to the wider public. However, various boiler manufacturers – including Baxi, Vaillant, and Worcester Bosch – have claimed that they will cost the same amount as a gas boiler.
This means that hydrogen boilers could cost anywhere between £570 and £2,700, but the overall price will depend on the type of boiler you go for.
As for installation costs? Hydrogen boilers will be built in the same way as gas boilers – with similar components, accessories, and controls – which means they should cost roughly the same to install.
We’ve outlined how much a hydrogen boiler could end up costing in the table below.
| Type of boiler | Average boiler cost | Average installation cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
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Is a hydrogen boiler cheaper than a gas boiler?
Although hydrogen boilers are still in the prototype stage, many manufacturers have said that they’ll cost the same amount as a gas boiler.
However, hydrogen boilers will cost much more than gas boilers to run, as it’s a more expensive fuel.
How much does a hydrogen boiler cost to run?
Hydrogen is a pretty pricey fuel – especially compared to cheap fossil fuels.
OPC Energy has estimated that it would cost roughly £960 to heat a home with green hydrogen (the most eco-friendly form of hydrogen) each year. To compare, it costs just £551 each year to run a gas boiler – almost half of the amount of money it takes to run a hydrogen boiler.
Hydrogen boilers can also run on blue hydrogen, which is 2-3 times less expensive than green hydrogen but generates more carbon emissions.
Despite the high prices, hydrogen is very efficient when it comes to producing heat. In fact, there is the same amount of energy in 1kg of hydrogen as there is in 2.8kg of natural gas. This means that hydrogen boilers won’t need to use as much fuel as gas boilers to keep homes warm.
When can you buy a hydrogen boiler?
Hydrogen boilers won’t be ready for the public until around 2025.
But a nationwide switch to hydrogen boilers won’t happen overnight – instead, it’s likely to happen over the course of a few years.
It’s likely that this change will happen in three main stages:
- Stage one – New boilers will be built to be ‘hydrogen-ready’, which means they’ll be able to work with both natural gas and hydrogen. We can expect these boilers to be rolled out between 2023-2025
- Stage two – A 20% hydrogen and 80% natural gas blend will be introduced into the national gas supply to reduce emissions. British Gas has said that this isn’t expected to begin until 2028 at the very earliest
- Stage three – The gas supply will switch to 100% hydrogen, which will mean every new boiler sold in the UK will basically be a hydrogen boiler. This stage probably won’t happen until the mid-2040s
Which companies are selling hydrogen boilers?
As it stands, there aren’t any companies selling hydrogen boilers – but some are in the middle of creating a hydrogen-ready prototype.
Worcester Bosch unveiled its hydrogen boiler in early 2020, after running tests on it for over three years. The company has stated that they could potentially roll out the boiler from 2025 onwards – but this will only be achievable with government support. Bosch has even trialled the UK’s first 100% Hydrogen Home.
Viessmann has also been working on a hydrogen-ready prototype. The company has stated that the first practical deployment will take place in Germany as part of the SmartQuart project.
Summary
Hydrogen is at the centre of the government’s plan to rapidly reduce the UK’s emissions. And if everything goes to plan, hydrogen boilers will be in UK homes within a decade.
Want to get clued up on hydrogen boilers before they start getting rolled out? Check out our helpful guide on A Beginner’s Guide to Hydrogen Boilers.
