An alternative to gas boilers being built in Berkshire could enable households to cut energy bills and help the UK meet its carbon reduction targets, according to an MP.
The latest heat battery boilers use AI technology to access electricity when its cheaper, building up and then storing heat, which is released as needed into conventional radiators.
Henley and Thame Liberal Democrat MP Freddie van Mierlo was invited to inspect technology developed and manufactured in Wokingham and installed at a house in Thame, after asking questions in Parliament about rural energy resilience in the face of storms and climate change.
Large parts of his constituency have no access to mains gas and many households rely on oil for heating or bottled Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) – fuels which have become more costly in recent months.
Anna and Gary Hearn, from Thame, believe they are saving money compared to their neighbours, as well as doing their bit for the environment by switching away from fossil fuels.
Gary said: “In my head, I’m thinking eventually electricity will be cheaper than gas, so if we take a leap now we’re already there ahead of when prices start to come down.”
Their system is controlled by a phone app, which automatically draws on electricity when its cheapest, typically overnight.
Anna said: “The fact it’s got all the AI machine learning on the app, so it knows how much we’re using, when we’re using it, and so it looks for the best tariff to charge and times, it’s brilliant.”