'No place in our homes' | Hydrogen blends leak twice as much in household cookers compared to gas: report
Lab tests confirm that leakage rate is likely to wipe out any climate benefits of using H2 in the first place
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Tests carried out in a UK certified lab (but not peer-reviewed) on behalf of environmental non-profit the Environmental Coalition on Standards (Ecos) found that using a 20% hydrogen blend in methane more than doubled leaks from domestic gas cookers compared to using fossil gas alone, when used under normal household conditions.
Boilers tested by UK scientists at Enertek International saw emissions increase by 44% on average.
Leakages of just 0.7% — likely in most homes on most days, the test shows —would cause additional annual greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to 574,538 tonnes of carbon dioxide if applied to all households in the EU, and 155,755 tonnes in the UK, equivalent to the emissions from 300,000 and 84,000 fossil fuel-powered cars, respectively.
Brand new appliances bought from major UK retailers were used for the experiments, with the leakages measured by pressure losses. Tests were carried out both cold (appliances off at room temperature) and hot (appliances heated up first, then tested while off) — but Ecos has only published the more conservative results from the cold test.
The six models of cookers lost an average of 2.7 millibar of pressure per hour with the hydrogen blend, compared to 1.1 millibar per hour with methane alone, 2.4 times as fast.
And the boilers tested saw hydrogen blend leaks increase to an average of 3.8 millibar per hour, compared to 2.7 millibar per hour when using gas.
“Renewable hydrogen may likely help us decarbonise heavy industry, international shipping, and long haul flights, but with its long list of health, safety, environment, and cost problems, it has no place in our homes,” said Ecos programme manager Marco Grippa. “Why focus on this unworkable solution when there is already a clear winner? Electricity-powered heat pumps and induction cooktops are the cleaner, healthier, and safer alternative to gas in domestic settings.”