Miatta Fahnbulleh MP was joined by Sunamp and tepeo founders to discuss how the government’s Warm Homes Plan can support households to reduce carbon emissions and cut energy bills.
The visit took place on the same day that an additional £1.8bn in support was announced through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.
Up to 170,000 homes will benefit from energy efficiency upgrades as the rollout of the Warm Homes Plan gathers pace.
The £1.8bn just announced will be allocated to local authorities and social housing providers to complete efficiency upgrades on homes in the form of insulation, solar panels and heat pumps.
Heat batteries as a compact alternative to heat pumps
During the visit to the home in north west London, the minister was able to see a tepeo zero emission boiler for space heating in action, combined with a Sunamp thermino for hot water.
The heat batteries were discreetly installed inside a typical Victorian terrace property, taking up no external space and using the same radiators as the old gas boiler. While it was a chilly March morning, with an external temperature of little more than 8C, the heat batteries kept the home to a cosy 21C.
Andrew Bissell, CEO and founder of Sunamp, said: “As we strive to decarbonise homes, we need to be able to deliver affordable heating for everyone during the energy transition. It’s easier with larger homes which can accommodate a heat pump and a hot water cylinder, but as homes get smaller and more space-constrained, the role for heat batteries gets bigger.
“Heat batteries like Sunamp’s Thermino range for hot water, provide a compact alternative to bulky hot water cylinders when installing heat pumps. And for homes such as terraces and apartments, electric heat batteries provide a space-saving, flexible alternative to heat pumps to directly deliver space heating. In all cases, heat batteries remove the need to burn gas in combis and other boilers. Heat batteries move home heating and hot water to clean, flexible electricity with high affordability.”
Johan du Plessis, CEO and founder of tepeo said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Miatta Fahnbulleh MP to see first-hand how the ZEB is helping households transition to low-carbon heating.
“Heat batteries offer a practical, flexible, and cost-effective solution, particularly for homes where heat pumps may not be viable. We welcome the Minister’s engagement and look forward to working with the government to ensure that all homes have access to clean, affordable heating by extending the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and VAT relief to heat batteries, as part of the Warm Homes Plan.”
Tom Lowe, Founding Director, Thermal Storage UK, added: “As the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero finalises its Warm Homes Plan, it was fantastic to show the Energy Minister how heat batteries can help electrify and decarbonise homes today.
“The Climate Change Committee foresees all homes electrifying their heating in the next 25 years, so every home needs an electric heating solution that works for them, whether highly flexible heat batteries or super-efficient heat pumps”.
Image credit: Thermal Storage UK
