Innovation, although a word that’s all-too-readily bandied around, represents change and transformation for our industry. It’s an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions, deliver better outcomes for consumers, and for installers to seize the financial opportunities that fitting low-carbon technologies can bring. 

Looking forward 

To reach the net-zero target by 2050, we need to decarbonise far faster than we have been doing. There is no single solution that will work for all homes. Looking ahead to 2050, we anticipate that: 

  •  Home heating will largely be electrified, with a five-fold increase in electricity demand for heating 
  •  Heat pumps are likely to supply between 70-90% of UK domestic heating 
  •  Direct electric heating will be used where air source heat pumps are impractical. 

At Energy Systems Catapult, I’m privileged to work alongside some incredible innovators, and I get to see first-hand the extraordinary work that goes in to making the energy transition a reality. By creating outcomes-driven home heating products and services for consumers, clean tech innovators – large and small – are accelerating the UK to net-zero. 

In control 

Meeting the demand for electricity as we move to the electrification of heat is one of the most pressing challenges we face. Fabric efficiency, a significant increase in thermal storage, and other energy demand managing technologies, such as smart controls, will be needed. 

Fortunately, we are seeing more innovation in the market. Some options that spring to mind when it comes to smart controls include: 

  • The Homely device (from Evergreen) is a potential game-changer for cost-conscious consumers. It learns the dynamics of a home – including the time it takes 
  • to heat up and cool down – and combines this with weather forecasts and tariff prices to find the cost-optimal time to heat the property
  • The Passiv Smart Thermostat is a dedicated heat pump controller that is designed to make keeping warm simple while reducing bills by 30%
  • Wondrwall is self-learning and adapts to a family’s daily routine, and can be coupled with solar panels, heating systems, and battery storage.

This is the kind of innovation we need to see to get buy-in from consumers. Simple and affordable solutions that pair well with low-carbon heating technologies, are easy for installers to install, and demand little of a consumers’ time – making their heating experience better (and more sustainable). 

Alternative innovation 

Upgrading home heating is not something that we do regularly. People tend to purchase a new heating system every 10-15 years when their boiler dies or when replacing a faulty part is not practical or cost-effective. In the time between now and 2050, this gives most UK households just two opportunities to switch to low-carbon heating. Spurring on this change is no easy feat.

This is why bold and exciting innovations are needed to drive consumers to make the switch, including those where space constraints within their property are a concern.  

Sunamp has stepped up to this challenge, developing a ground-breaking compact ‘heat battery’ that stores thermal energy at times when renewable generation is plentiful and cheap, so it can be used for heating when required. 

Sunamp is not alone. Other companies, such as Mixergy, which has designed a smart hot water storage tank that only heats the required amount of hot water, have set out to reduce consumer costs without compromising on comfort. This is important. If comfort is disrupted, consumers will not go for an idea.

The success of the next phase of decarbonisation in the UK will depend on the ability of companies to create products and services that consumers love, that also happen to be low-carbon.

At your service 

Innovation is as much about creating the right business models and consumer services as it is about technology. Providing digestible, consumer-friendly offers – such as bundling products like heat pumps into energy tariffs – will likely appeal to many. We are already seeing this within the sector. 

Energy Systems Catapult has teamed up with the start-up bank Perenna, E.ON, and Heatio to strengthen the UK’s emerging green finance market and support prospective and existing homeowners. The partnership with E.ON is exploring new ways to enable customers to spread the cost of sustainable solutions such as heat pumps, solar, and batteries. Meanwhile, Perenna has launched its Retrofit Mortgage product to encourage homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. 

In the heating sector, efforts to evolve the technology coupled with smart thinking on tariffs are now providing competitive alternatives for households. These are genuine innovations that will change the face of home heating.