Worcester Bosch is facing a regulatory probe in the UK over claims that its hydrogen boilers were advertised as more environmentally friendly than is actually the case.
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the investigation on Tuesday, which will assess how Worcester Bosch advertised its so-called “hydrogen-ready boilers”.
This will cover claims that the firm specifically made about its boilers being able to run on a blend of 20% hydrogen and natural gas, despite this being standard practice in the UK since the 1990s, the CMA said.
Information in Worcester Bosch’s advertising on the benefits of hydrogen-powered heating will also be scrutinised, the CMA continued, given the fuel is not even used for this in the UK yet.
“Businesses need to be clear about the environmental credentials of the products they’re selling,” CMA consumer protection director George Lusty said.
“This is especially important for heating products like home boilers, which are an expensive and long-term purchase.”
The CMA added that the firm’s information on hydrogen boilers may well have “falsely” suggested that the use of the heating systems could reduce household’s carbon footprints.
“We are in receipt of notice of investigation from the CMA and are assisting them in full with provision of information as requested,” Worcester Bosch said in response.
Twelve other retailers of hydrogen-ready boilers were also contacted by the CMA, over concerns that they could be breaching consumer law through their marketing of the systems.
Hydrogen has long been tipped as an alternative fuel to natural gas, though the actual practicality of switching the UK’s grid to carry the fuel has faced scrutiny.
Several firms advertise their boilers as being ready to run on hydrogen, though whether the fuel is indeed used in the future remains to be seen.