Over recent years, Wales & West Utilities, the gas distribution network for Wales and the south west of England, has worked to explore the potential use of hydrogen in a real-life setting to help meet decarbonisation challenges.
This work is being brought to life at the Cartrefi Hydrogen Homes project, a partnership between Wales & West Utilities and the social housing provider Codi Group. A traditional terraced home has undergone a deep retrofit to improve its energy efficiency, with hydrogen boiler and cooker installations added as low‑carbon gas alternatives. The project es the opportunity to see hydrogen in action and has delivered ‘test and learn’ objectives of the Welsh Government’s Optimised Retrofit Program (ORP) which provided funding alongside the project partners.
The home is now heated with green hydrogen – a gas produced by using electrolysis from renewable electricity and water - making it Wales’ first hydrogen home, and the first retrofit project of its kind in the UK. The project is part of a wider commitment to explore how green gases, including hydrogen, could help decarbonise processes across the UK – including industry and transport.
Matt Hindle, Head of Net Zero & Sustainability at Wales & West Utilities explains:
“Gas is a critical part of our energy system- and will be for decades to come – heating homes, supplying industry and backing up renewable power generation.
“At Wales & West Utilities we are committed to exploring low carbon alternatives to help meet our customers’ environmental ambitions while providing world class resilience and minimising disruption. Cartrefi Hydrogen Homes shows what hydrogen looks like in practice, and we are delighted to welcome visitors who want to see the installation and learn more.
“As the build itself is a UK first, we’ve taken away lots of learning to share with the wider industry. We’ve applied outputs from previous projects and are updating processes and policies to be ready for hydrogen use across different sectors in the future.”
Sustainability Lead at Codi Group and Project Lead for Cartrefi Hydrogen Homes, Nick Abbott, added:
“Cartrefi Hydrogen Homes shows what’s possible when deep retrofit and emerging low-carbon technologies are brought together in a real home. Working in partnership with Wales & West Utilities, we’ve been able to demonstrate how improving the fabric of a traditional property first creates the right foundation for innovative solutions like hydrogen heating and cooking to be explored safely and effectively.
This project has been a genuine ‘test and learn’ opportunity for everyone involved, and we’re proud to have helped deliver a UK-first retrofit that not only improves energy efficiency but also gives the sector practical insight into how homes of the future could be heated as we decarbonise.”
Works at the site have been carried out following HSE regulations and guidance, with minimal disruption to the local community and no change to their gas supply.
The project is a partnership between housing association, Codi Group and Wales & West Utilities, supported by British Gas, Vaillant, IGEM, Steer Energy and Kiwa. The project has also offered training and upskilling opportunities for WWU’s workforce and beyond.
Want to learn more?
We're inviting the public to come see the home for themselves. If you’d like to apply, please register your interest using the link: https://forms.office.com/e/6Z0MPK2pHY