Page 9 - Gi_October2021

industry & government news

HEADLINES EXAGGERATE

DANGER OF HYDROGEN BOILERS

A FRONT-PAGE article in The
Telegraph, and reports in several other WORCESTER BOSCH
papers including The Sun, Mirror
and MailOnline, as well as specialist
publication Recharge, claimed that
hydrogen boilers pose a greater risk
than conventional gas boilers and could
cause four times as many explosions
and injuries.
All the articles claimed that hydrogen
boilers could cause 39 explosions
and 65 injuries or fatalities each year,
compared to the nine explosions and
17 injuries or fatalities estimated to
be caused by the natural gas boilers
currently in use. THE DANGER OF HYDROGEN BOILERS
However, according to independent HAS BEEN HYPED IN THE MEDIA
fact-checking charity Full Fact, this
claim was missing several important the real world, where many conditions houses that use hydrogen instead.
pieces of context, which suggest that in would be different. For instance, the Overall, the report itself states: “the
practice hydrogen could be an equally report says that with natural gas, actual risks associated with the use
safe alternative to natural gas. “the number of very large explosions of hydrogen are expected to be lower
The reported figures come from predicted is greater than that observed than we calculate in the assessment.”
a safety assessment conducted by in practice from historical incident And Hy4Heat says: “This assessment
engineering consultant Arup as part reporting”. And with hydrogen, “The indicates that the use of 100 per cent
of the Department for Business, model has purposely been used in a hydrogen can be made as safe as natural
Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) conservative manner and is permitted gas is when used for heating and
Hy4Heat initiative, which aims “to to predict overpressures [explosions] cooking in certain types of houses.”
establish if it is technically possible, much larger than will occur in UK A BEIS spokesperson told Full
safe and convenient to replace natural domestic properties.” Fact: “Elements of this report have
gas (methane) with hydrogen in The hydrogen estimates also assume been cherrypicked when in fact, it
residential and commercial buildings that the gas is being used without a safety concludes hydrogen can be made as
and gas appliances”. device called an “excess flow valve”. If safe as natural gas.
In particular, the articles use figures these were installed as standard, the “All necessary safety assessments will
from two tables in the assessment, assessment estimates that there would be carried out and measures will be put
which show the estimated number of be 26 explosions a year with hydrogen in place to ensure that hydrogen is stored,
explosions and injuries that each gas (instead of 39), causing 16 injuries or distributed and used in a safe way.”
might be expected to cause each year fatalities (instead of 65) — making it no The Health and Safety Executive
if they were being used in the same more dangerous than natural gas. (HSE) wrote to BEIS after independently
number of hypothetical homes. Burning natural gas can also cause reviewing the safety assessment, stating
These estimates are used to compare injuries or death from carbon monoxide it was satisfied that the assessment
the explosive potential of the two gases, poisoning. As some of the newspapers provided the basis for designing future
not to predict what would happen in point out, this risk would not exist in hydrogen trials.

who use prepayment meters – who are Tom Lyon, Director of Energy in energy bills will be an even bigger
typically more socially vulnerable – at energyhelpline.com, an energy blow to hard-pressed customers.”
the average energy bill will rise from switching site, said that although the The increases will mean millions of
£1,156 to £1,309, a difference of £153, Ofgem price cap sets the maximum homes will face having to pay some
according to The Guardian. rate for energy bills, “there is no of the highest energy bills for the
The flurry of energy price rises began requirement on energy suppliers past decade, reigniting calls for the
with EDF Energy announcing it was to raise prices on standard variable government to establish a social tariff
putting up prices by 12 per cent to an tariffs to the highest level possible. for the most financially vulnerable
average of £1,277 a year for its two million And given we are about to enter the that is priced at a discount to the
customers on standard dual-fuel tariffs. coldest part of the year, any increase standard energy price cap.

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15/09/2021 12:19
News.indd 4
News.indd 4 15/09/2021 12:19