The cost of living... what can we do?

My first thought was I need to change by boiler by 2026 in that case.
However quick look at the article showed that new boilers must be able to be switched to hydrogen, if and when that comes in.
So essentially just like the change to "North Sea" gas from coal gas.

 

But they just converted the existing appliance back then, Will we need to replace a boiler when and if hydrogen comes in or can old boilers, , be converted.

 

In my neck of the woods, they're moving pretty fast on the hydrogen front. They're building a hydrogen processing thing near us and they're already running surveys of people's equipment to see what needs to be done.

I'm glad I chose to go all electric. Hydrogen has about 8 times the explosive potential of methane, and being the smallest atom, it is quite an escape artist. I should be ok as long as my neighbour doesn't blow his house up.

 

Just like Gas cookers on the run-up to the introduction of natural gas. As a modern combi boiler has a life expectancy of 12 years they cannot be planning the switchover until 2038 or thereabouts. I will be running on Crem gas before then.

Apologies. I had written and posted this before I saw the other replies in between!

 

Bi-fold doors.

 

I was wondering why they were replacing the gas mains in an area where the housing is less than 30yr old.
They have been doing the mains for years now but obviously not just the old ones.
Could it be to get ready for hydrogen.

 

If i hang onto my old boiler until this lot starts maybe I can get a new one for free when it all kicks off.

 

There are (at least) 2 sort of brands if you like of hydrogen. They're all hydrogen, but they refer to how it is produced.

Green hydrogen is extracted from sea water, by electrolysis, using surplus energy from wind turbines.

Then there's what I think they refer to as blue hydrogen. Basically natural gas (methane), from fossil fuels, put through a very high temperature process that strips the carbon atoms out of the methane to leave hydrogen.

Hydrogen is being touted as eco friendly. When you burn it, the only emissions are water.

But the bit not enough people are talking about is this. There is not enough surplus energy from renewables to run the hydrolysis process needed to meet our gas demand. That means they'll have to produce most of it the dirty, energy intensive way, stripping the carbon off methane. In effect increasing rather than decreasing co2 emissions because of the energy needed to produce the hydrogen.

Hydrogen from electrolysis has great potential as a buffer for surplus output from renewables, eg producing hydrogen when the wind is blowing too strong through the night, to run gas powered turbines to generate power in the morning when the wind has died down but everyone is putting the kettle on. But I can't see how we're in any position to cleanly transition to domestic gas supply being hydrogen.

 

What wonderful help and advice given to us by the Gov and Energy companies

To reduce cost, Turn all heating down, close windows and doors, use a draught excluder
over any air gaps in doors
Do not use much lighting, go to bed early to achieve this
Wear heavier clothes, Not shorts and T Shirts
Using one bar only on a two bar electric fire will Halve ! the cost

OMG I would never have thought of all that Myself