The dependence on green hydrogen in place of heat pumps for heating needs in Europe is perceived to have pitfalls. It would double energy bills, lead to loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, diminish GDP by 1%, increase air pollution to lead to premature deaths, and derail the climate targets of the European Union for 2030.
Importantly, if gas boilers are replaced with heat pumps, and combined with home renovations to elevate energy efficiency, this would be the best approach for carbon-free residential heating. This is the analysis of 222-page report presented by UK-based analyst Cambridge Econometrics in alliance with the European Alliance to Save Energy and European Climate Foundation.
In fact, even a combination of green hydrogen and heat pumps would not be friendly for consumer’s pockets and the Earth than using only heat pumps.
On the other hand, larger the uptake of heat pumps, greater are the socio-economic benefits, states an executive summary presented by the European Climate Foundation.
In terms of performance, heat pumps are a highly efficient heating approach, which has advantages of reducing household energy bills and improves Europe’s energy independence goals. A large installation of heat pumps for individual heating systems as well as district heating networks, combined with high renovation rate can reduce energy bills of households by half by 2050. Conversely, hydrogen boilers lead to high energy consumption due to their less energy efficiency than heat pumps, and require as much as six times more renewable energy.