Maria is on the front line of the UK's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
Her house in Whitby in Ellesmere Port, north-west England, is one of 2,000 homes earmarked to have its natural gas supply turned off.
If the Whitby proposal is approved, pure hydrogen will flow through its pipes from 2025. Hydrogen's advantage is that, unlike natural gas, it doesn't produce the climate-warming gas CO2 when burnt.
Homes currently account for about 17% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions, and as part of efforts to fight climate change, the government aims to phase out natural gas boilers from 2035.
But with 23m homes currently connected to the gas grid, moving them to cleaner forms of energy will be a monumental task.
To trial greener technologies Whitby, along with Redcar in the northeast of England, has been named a candidate to convert to hydrogen. One will be chosen next year and become the UK's first "hydrogen village."
But is hydrogen safe? The government and gas companies say it can be, even though hydrogen is more leaky and explosive than natural gas.
It's also not clear how green the village will be. Though hydrogen can be made from water using renewable energy, more than 99% of the world's supply is currently made from fossil fuels, creating CO2 emissions.
While some Whitby residents welcome the proposal, others feel forced to participate in a dangerous experiment. She sat next to Maria on the sofa when the BBC visited her friend Margaret Walsh.
"It's horrendous. The stress. That is all that is being talked about in my house."
Stephen Lyth, who lives just round the corner, said he and his wife feel like "lab rats."
If the trial goes, there will be no more natural gas in the Whitby "hydrogen village" area. Residents must choose between converting their homes to hydrogen or going electric with a heat pump, with all the new appliances provided free of charge.
The gas companies and the government say residents worry needlessly about safety. They say that though hydrogen is more explosive, additional measures will be in place, making the risk similar to that of natural gas.
That doesn't wash with Professor Tom Baxter, an expert in hydrogen at the University of Strathclyde.
"Would you buy a car from a salesman who said, 'This car will crash more often, but because of the safety features, we will be just as safe?" he asks. "You wouldn't do it."
For the last few months, British Gas and Cadent representatives have been visiting homes in the area to service existing gas appliances for free, assess their readiness for hydrogen, and address any concerns. If Whitby gets selected, residents will be supplied with hydrogen at the same price as natural gas for a two-year trial.
Some Whitby residents, like Phil Garnett, are supportive and excited by the prospect of new and free appliances and doing something he sees as beneficial to the environment.
"We're trying to move towards a greener, cleaner energy to reduce the carbon emissions in the atmosphere," he says. "I'm all for it."
You must be logged in to post a comment.