In this article
Neat Heat was a completed research trial, not a new installation programme currently being offered by Westwood. UK Power Networks' project record gives an end date of 30 June 2024, and its results announcement followed in September 2024.
The trial explored whether storing heat could change when homes draw electricity for heating. That remains an interesting question, but results from a limited trial should not be treated as a guaranteed outcome for every household.
What did the project investigate?
UK Power Networks worked with OVO and tepeo on a trial involving 30 homes. It assessed tepeo's heat-storage technology and the potential to move electricity demand away from peak periods while supplying household heat.
This was a specific technology, participant group and operating arrangement. The source links below provide the project context and reported results, rather than a forecast for your property.
A heat battery is different from an electrical battery
A heat store retains energy as heat for later use. An electrical battery stores energy that can subsequently supply electrical equipment. Their purpose, controls and installation requirements differ, so the word battery should not make the two products interchangeable in a quotation.
Ask a supplier exactly what a proposed unit stores, what it supplies and how it works with your existing heating and hot-water system.
It is also different from a heat pump
A heat pump transfers heat from its surroundings. A heat-storage system instead concerns retaining heat for use later. A product name or a reference to low-carbon heating does not establish that two technologies use electricity in the same way.
Compare the full proposed system and its operating assumptions. Claims about emissions should distinguish what happens at the property from the wider emissions associated with electricity and equipment.
What should a homeowner ask now?
- Is the product currently available for this type of property?
- Who is qualified to design, install and support it?
- What space, electrical supply and heating-system changes are needed?
- Which tariff and control assumptions underpin estimated running costs?
- What warranty, servicing and repair arrangements apply?
Availability, specifications and commercial terms need checking with the current supplier. A trial announcement from 2024 does not answer those questions today.
Keep the electrical assessment separate from the heating design
If you are exploring a new heating technology, obtain advice from an appropriate heating-system specialist. Any required electrical alterations should be coordinated with the chosen design.
Westwood can discuss the electrical testing and installation assessment relevant to a planned change in a Blackpool or Fylde Coast property. This article does not advertise Westwood as an installer of the Neat Heat trial equipment.
Sources & further reading
Primary guidance for the topics discussed in this article.
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