Vaillant Supports Transition to Full Hydrogen Heating in Germany’s H2Direkt Project

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GERMANY: Vaillant Deutschland, in partnership with Energienetze Bayern GmbH and Energie Südbayern GmbH (ESB), is supporting the “H2Direkt” project in Hohenwart, Upper Bavaria, where several households and a commercial facility are now being supplied with 100% hydrogen through an existing gas distribution network. Following the successful completion of the research and pilot phase, the project has entered regular operation, demonstrating the practical feasibility of supplying hydrogen to existing buildings under real-world conditions.

In May 2026, the hydrogen-compatible prototype heating systems used during the pilot phase were replaced with commercial ecoTEC plus VC condensing boilers from Vaillant. After proving their reliability over two heating seasons, the project has transitioned to market-ready technology. The ecoTEC plus VC boilers can operate entirely on hydrogen with the addition of dedicated conversion kits. Hydrogen is currently delivered via mobile trailers, while plans are in place to install an on-site electrolyser by 2027 to produce hydrogen locally. Future developments also include the construction of hydrogen storage facilities and the gradual expansion of the hydrogen network.

source: SHK Journal