Hydrogen will not have a major role in the future of heating homes across Britain, according to a peer-reviewed review of more than two dozen independent studies, published in the academic journal Joule.

The research found that using hydrogen in domestic heating is less economic, less efficient, more resource intensive and has a bigger environmental impact than many alternatives, including heat pumps, solar thermal panels and district heating – where whole blocks or neighbourhoods are supplied through the same hot water system.

The academic findings contradict the statements made by Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, who told the House of Commons last week that hydrogen was a "silver bullet", that could be used as a way to store excess renewable power, and "with some adjustments piped through to people's houses to heat them during the winter." 

Last year, the government also claimed that by 2035, hydrogen could be playing a big...