Neat Heat for low carbon heating

It found that switching to low carbon electrified heating could help the UK meet its net zero targets by 2050. At the same time this move could also take some of the pressure off the electricity grid by using new heat battery technology. This is an option for homeowners and can also be applied on an industrial scale. 

 

The trial ran for 18 months until June 2024 in 30 homes across the South East and East of England. It used tepeo’s Zero Emission Boiler (ZEB) as an all-electric low carbon alternative to fossil fuel boilers. 

 

It showed that it’s possible to shift peak energy demand for heating to off-peak times by up to 95%. That could make home heating much more efficient and help to reduce bills, even during the coldest times. Compared to gas boilers, for example, it could also reduce carbon emissions by 15,600kg. 

 

Thermal storage allows homeowners to ‘charge’ their heating systems from renewable sources and when energy is cheaper. Heat is then released on demand during the day. 

 

When the scheme was launched more than 2,000 registrations were received, so there’s plenty of interest. 

 

To make this idea work, OVO developed a reduced ‘type of use’ tariff that customers could use to charge their ZEBs. They could also set their ZEBs to charge at the cheapest times of day. 

 

This showed that customers could move their yearly energy requirements for heating outside peak hours. Even during the coldest weeks of winter, they could move more than 90%. 

 

The homes that took part didn’t notice a change to their heating using a ZEB, which provided heating similar to a traditional boiler. 

 

ZEBs could suit around 20% of the UK’s homes which don’t have space for other low carbon solutions like heat pumps. They would also suit existing homes where other options are difficult to install. 

 

Installations were fast and involved very little disruption for the homes that took part in the trial. All of them decided to keep their new ZEB heating rather than go back to a fossil fuel boiler. 

 

Shifting electricity demand away from peak hours will help reduce upgrades to the power network. That’s good news for customers who would see the costs added to their bills. It also makes generating and storing renewable energy a more viable option for the future. 

 

We’ll watch developments with interest.