Hybrids & alternative fuel T


here have been two major influencing factors on levels of demand in both the domestic and commercial sector which are the cost-


of-living crisis and inflation. With prices rising all around us, it has challenged both areas of the sector. On the domestic side, consumers have less money in their pocket to upgrade their home heating systems and appliances, be-coming more conservative with their spending. On the commercial side, growing inflation rates mean its more expensive to carry out commercial activity. Demand will change with the tides as the heating industry evolves into greener technologies accompanied by gov-ernment legislation that will discontinue boilers powered solely by fossil fuel oil or natural gas. Even at the best of times economically, it’s


difficult to get people to change their behaviour and adopt new technologies, especially when it comes to appliances that we are so accus-tomed to. But there is a development that is taking place across both the domestic and commercial space in that regulation is changing which will see greener fuelled heating sys-tems become the standard. For example, the Future Home Standard which is focused on the reduction of carbon emissions in the home. New Build developers will be focused on the Future Home Standard, ensuring that new dwellings are more energy efficient. As part of the government’s green plan, there is an ambition of installing 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 which means developers across the UK will need a trusted network of designers and installers to collaborate with to reach these goals. Virtually every gas boiler manufactured since the mid 1990s is hydrogen blend ready which means that they can already accept up to a 20% blend of hydrogen mixed with natural gas. Hydrogen blending will create a significant market for hydrogen production as well as demonstrating that the gas grid can start to decarbonise in a similar way to the electricity grid. The key decision for Government now is whether to mandate 100% hydrogen ready appliances following the recent consultation which could happen sometime from 2026 to 2028. With the commitment to decide the future transition of the gas grid to hydrogen in 2026, the field trials of H100 in Scotland and the planned hydrogen village trials have been designed to inform this decision in 2026. Of course, the successful rollout of hydrogen


from both a domestic and commercial stand- point depends largely on the right infrastructure being developed to ensure its success. An-other commonality for both sectors is that we are awaiting firm government action on which route will be the most feasible between hydrogen and electric heat pumps. We will almost certainly need both


www.heatingandventilating.net


A greener future for domestic and commercial


Pete Mills, commercial technical operations manager for Bosch Commercial & Industrial, outlines the commonalties among both the domestic and commercial facets of the industry


technologies to hit Net Zero targets and this debate is holding back vital investment in the development of these products for domestic and commercial use. In the meantime, hybrids seem to be the most


feasible option. Consider the automotive in-dustry and how hybrids have paved the way for electric vehicles by instilling confidence and familiarity – the ambition for the home heating industry is much the same. With a view to the future, hybrid blend boilers could eventually be adaptable to 100% hydrogen (if a deci-sion is made to transition the gas grid) which will make for a smoother transition towards greener energy as the fuel source will be all that has to change as opposed to the entire unit. As we edge closer to sustainable heating systems


Virtually every gas boiler manufactured since the mid 1990s is hydrogen blend ready which means that they can already accept up to a 20% blend of hydrogen mixed with natural gas. Hy-drogen blending will create a significant market for hydrogen production as well as demonstrat-ing that the gas grid can start to decarbonise in a similar way to the electricity grid


26 May 2023


Pete Mills, commercial technical operations manager


becoming a mandatory fixture for both domestic and commercial buildings, a key challenge for this transition will be the labour market and skills availability. Due to the demographic, it is vital that the industry retains the older generation of installers who are concerned about retraining and change. Innovation is needed now to attract and train the new generations of installers if we are to have any chance of achieving the goals of the greener future that we all want for our domestic and commercial buildings.


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