ADE: Demand, the UK’s largest trade body for thermal storage, has welcomed the Government’s decision to expand the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to include heat batteries, calling it a “massive moment” for consumer choice and the UK’s clean energy transition.
The move, confirmed by DESNZ, will provide a £2,500 grant for households to install a heat battery, a zero-emission boiler alternative that provides central heating and hot water. This decision is a pivotal shift towards a technology that can soak up cheap, renewable electricity and use it to provide clean heat, helping to build a more flexible energy system.
By enabling homes to act as “thermal stores”, the system can absorb excess renewable power when it’s cheap and green, rather than wasting it. This flexibility is vital for balancing the grid, helps avoid costly grid upgrades and is key to delivering £115 a year in savings for households that a flexible energy system can offer in this Parliament.
Sarah Honan, Head of ADE: Demand said; “This is a massive moment for consumer choice and a lifeline for millions of homes. Heat batteries mean we can stop wasting Britain’s renewable energy and start using it – this is how we cut bills and carbon. Now, the Chancellor must act, Rachel Reeves must extend the 0% VAT to heat batteries in the Budget and take decisive action to lower electricity costs for good. It’s time for Government to back this British success story and deliver a cleaner, cheaper energy system.”
The expansion of the BUS is a response to calls from industry, including ADE: Demand and its members like Tepeo and Sunamp, who have long argued that a technology-neutral approach is essential to decarbonise the UK’s diverse housing stock.
Notes to editors:
About ADE: Demand
ADE: Demand is the UK’s largest non-profit trade association for energy demand, with over 160 members.
Energy users have been treated as passive consumers for too long. ADE: Demand and our members are re-writing this story. We are creating the conditions for every household, business and factory to take the decision to decarbonise and use the vast reservoir of consumer-led flexibility this creates to help the grid and their bottom line.
For further information please contact:
Murat Omercik
External Affairs Manager
Association for Decentralised Energy
