Hybrid heating system could decarbonise UK homes and reduce fuel poverty

Developed through an Innovate UK funded project that involved EDF Energy, BRE, Glen Dimplex, and Eastbourne Homes the so-called ‘Renewable Integrated and Sustainable Electric’ (RISE) system uses two energy sources for domestic heating.

One of these sources is an ‘off-peak’ thermal storage boiler, based on Glen Dimplex’s Quantum Storage heater technology, that uses cheaper night time electricity to heat the bricks inside it. The hot water pipes in the house are passed through the off-peak boiler to warm the water for the house radiators providing heat during peak heating hours from 7am to 9am and 4pm to 8pm.

During off-peak hours, the off-peak boiler charges itself and the heating is provided by the second heat source – the Air Source Heat Pump. The heat pump operates like a fridge in reverse. (A fridge extracts heat from inside the fridge to inside the kitchen.) Similarly, the heat pump extracts heat from outside air and uses it to heat the water stored in the hot water storage tank. When the next peak heating time arrives, the hot water from the storage tank is circulated to the radiators and topped up with heat from the off-peak boiler. Hence this configuration avoids placing heat demand on the National Grid during peak times and thus reduces the need for network reinforcement.