Ignition potential of natural gas and hydrogen used for household heating in GB 2020

Natural gas has a lower ignition probability compared to hydrogen. Based on a study which analyzed 62 incidents in Great Britain between April 2016 and March 2020, the ignition potential of methane (natural gas) varied between 0.09 and 0.11, while hydrogen had an ignition potential between 0.15 and 0.42. Incidents due to material corrosion or degradation with a closed kitchen door where methane was the heating fuel used had an ignition potential of 0.1, while hydrogen stood at 0.17 to 0.31, depending on the sensitivity case. This represents a four-fold increase in ignition potential compared to methane. Following the same trend, the domestic explosion risk for hydrogen heating systems is over four-times higher compared to natural gas systems.