UEA Tasks To Be Achieved
Task One
The University Of East Anglia are tasked with validating that a Hybrid Air Source Heat Pump using “The Affordable Heat Store” combined with a “Hybrid Air Source Heat Pump” will achieve 100% decarbonization in homes at 50% of the cost of current air source heat pumps.
Heating hot water for showers represents a small part of the total hot water and heating bill
Heat pumps are great at heating homes.
Heat pumps are inefficient at heating water for hot showers etc.
Air to Water Heat Pumps (Central Heating and Hot Water)
To achieve hot water temperature at 60 degrees centigrade you need an indirect hot water cylinder, and the coil needs to be heated to 75 degrees centigrade. They need to raise the temperature by 70 degrees centigrade.
Air to Water Heat Pumps (CH Only)
To achieve an air temperature of 20 degrees centigrade they need to heat radiators to 40 degrees. They need to raise the temperature by 35 degrees centigrade.
Air to Air Direct Heat Pumps
When the temperatures outside are around 5 degrees C, a direct air to air heat pump is super-efficient. To achieve an air temperature of 20 degrees centigrade inside, they only need to raise the temperature by 15 degrees centigrade .
Running the heat pump to the higher temperatures results in much bigger air source heat pumps, noisy pumps, lower efficiency, and vastly more complicated systems, high maintenance costs, and higher servicing costs, and needing to run them though the summer. Smaller systems just running central heating could be 50% of the cost.
Barriers
Vested Interests
Energy Systems Catapult has stated that it’s time for us to concentrate on existing ‘solutions’ and not look for alternatives.
£7,500 Grant
This taxpayer funded grant is only given to make a £15,000 solution one that costs the consumer £7,500. It is only available to customers who buy existing ASHPs
UEA Task Two
Negotiate a beneficial energy tariff for pilot participants. Octopus Energy and its founder, Greg Jackson, have taken a leading role in supporting the reforms which would replace a single national electricity market price with multiple zones, each with its own price depending on how much electricity is available. Arrange a meaningful meeting between Alan Wright, Stefano Landini and Greg Jackson.
Britain is paying almost £180,000 an hour to switch off wind farms because there is nowhere for the excess power to go. So-called constraint payments, where turbines are switched off to help balance the grid, have already cost £252m in the first two months of 2025.
The pilot is looking to create homes that can store that energy and use that energy when the wind does not blow. The focus should be to get scheme participants the very best deal possible though negotiating with several energy companies.
Barriers
Energy Systems Catapult has previously acted as a gate keeper and give existing manufacturers of £15K ASHPs the sole ear of electricity suppliers.
UEA Task 4
Investigate how to qualify for government grants
Existing Gants
Could The Affordable Heat Store allow the follow on Hybrid Heat Store which does heating only qualify for the £7,500 grant?
Devices which enable storage of electricity are rated at zero vat. Can we qualify?
Some Energy Saving devices are zero rated. Can we qualify?
How do we lobby to get our own incentive?
Who do we lobby to get our own incentive?
UEA Task 5 and More
Engineering
An interesting mix of projects looking at the impact of installing affordable heat stores in relation to the power grid and the water network.
Business School
Multiple routes to commercialisation.
