A leading gas boiler manufacturer has been accused of misleading consumers by inventing a meaningless new term to suggest its new appliances will help tackle climate change.
Vaillant is marketing its ecoTech gas boilers as “hydrogen prepared” and claims this makes them “the perfect future-proof heating solution”. Several plumbing companies that install Vaillant’s boilers have also adopted the term “hydrogen prepared” on their websites.
But in reality the boilers are just regular gas boilers, all of which are capable of burning a blend of natural gas and up to 20% hydrogen – and there are no fixed plans for supplying hydrogen to homes anyway. The government has signalled that hydrogen is unlikely ever to fully replace gas.
