Government confirms 2026 hydrogen-ready boiler mandate

The government has confirmed that it wants all domestic gas boilers to be hydrogen-ready from 2026.

As part of an update to 2021’s Hydrogen Strategy, published on Tuesday (13 December), the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has announced that it is seeking views on proposals for all new domestic-scale gas boilers sold from 2026 to be capable of being powered by hydrogen.

The date was previously signalled by the government in its Hydrogen Strategy, which was published in August 2021, but has been confirmed following a subsequent call for evidence on the move .

The move is outlined in a consultation paper alongside proposals to set higher efficiency standards for new gas boilers, which BEIS estimates could save 21 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050.

Today’s announcement also includes a commitment of £25 million to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen from bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

BEIS said this technology results in negative emissions by capturing and permanently storing CO2 absorbed by the biomass while it is growing and therefore permanently removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

The funding, which will go directly towards progressing BECCS hydrogen projects from the design to demonstration stage, is part of a £102 million of energy innovation funding announced today.

The biggest element is up to £60 million worth of funding for research into high temperature gas reactors (HTGR), a type of advanced modular reactor.

HTGRs are smaller than conventional reactors and by generating temperatures of up to 950 degrees can provide a source of clean, high temperature heat that could help decarbonise industrial processes in the UK.

Hailing the BECCS funding announcement, energy minister Lord Callanan said: “With its potential to go one step further than net zero, and be carbon negative – removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere – this hydrogen technology will be crucial to achieving our climate goals.

“Our £25 million government funding to develop this technology will help unlock private investment and generate new green jobs – all while cutting carbon emissions.”

Commenting on the government’s announcement, Energy and Utility Alliance chief executive Mike Foster said: “Mandating hydrogen-ready boilers is an important step towards decarbonising homes. The government are absolutely right to support this no-regrets option. Boiler manufacturers have already made their ‘price promise’ so that a new hydrogen-ready boiler will cost the same as a natural gas appliance. So this means 1.7 million homes a year will be ready for net zero at no extra cost to the consumer.

“There are currently around 23 million homes using gas boilers in the UK, simply allowing the natural replacement cycle to take place means that by 2040 every home would be ready to see natural gas replaced with hydrogen. At scale, this system-led decarbonisation of homes delivers exactly what the government needs – hitting net zero at the lowest cost and least disruption to the consumer.”

“This policy means that British workers will still make boilers for British homes, rather than importing other appliances. It is at the very heart of a ‘just transition’ to a net zero world. They will then use hydrogen produced right here, ceasing our reliance on the global gas market that Putin has wreaked havoc with.”