EDF innovates to help customers move to heat pumps

• Two consortia – led by EDF – awarded grant funding by DESNZ under their Heat Pump Ready (HPR) Programme.
• The Neighbourhood Heat Pump scheme will provide a community-led solution for people to share ground source heat pump infrastructure.
• The One-stop Heat Pump App  will guide customers through the heat pump process, providing detailed technical support before, during and after the installation.

EDF has announced two new innovative projects that are designed to support customers transitioning to heat pumps. Both projects are supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) under its Heat Pump Ready Programme. The Heat Pump Ready Programme forms part of DESNZ’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes over the next two decades.

Heat pumps are a critical solution for decarbonising homes, and will be vital if the UK is to meet its legally binding commitment to achieve net zero by 2050. The Heat Pump Ready Programme will support the development of innovative solutions across the heat pump sector.

The first project – Neighbourhood Heat Pump – is being delivered by a consortium led by EDF, including Kensa Utilities, Devon County Council, Enzen, Urbanomy, Sheffield University and UCL, as part of Stream 1 of Heat Pump Ready.

It will offer customers the opportunity to share a ground source heat pump loop with their neighbours, allowing customers to reduce the cost of installing heat pumps, reduce carbon and improve the energy efficiency of their homes. The initial trial will take place in the Teignmouth area in South Devon.

This project will allow for the innovative, coordinated and efficient deployment of domestic heat pumps across the UK.

Customers will also benefit from the new One-stop Heat Pump App, which – as part of Stream 2 of Heat Pump Ready – will allow them to easily choose the right heat pump for their property.

Customers will be able to use the single platform across three main phases of installation:

1. A pre-survey assessment where a few simple questions are combined with publicly available housing data to determine eligibility.
2. A remote survey and analysis, carrying out a detailed design, quotation and installation plan, which will be confirmed by a short final in-person visit.
3. Post-installation aftercare, delivered by accessing performance data and receiving customer feedback, allowing engineers to tweak the settings if required.

The One-stop Heat Pump App will help customers overcome any lack of technical knowledge of heat pumps, helping them embrace the new technology through an easy-to-follow digital solution.

EDF will be supported in this by consortium partners including Daikin, Scottish Power Energy Networks, RES Distribution and the University of Sheffield.

Patrick Dupeyrat, EDF UK R&D Director, said::

“This marks an exciting new chapter for heat pump deployment in the UK. These two innovative projects will accelerate the country’s road to net zero, while providing customers with vital support as they decarbonise their heating in a cost-efficient way.”

EDF offers a range of energy efficiency and Zero Carbon Heating products, to help customers on their journey to a lower carbon lifestyle. For more information go to www.edf.co.uk/heating.

ENDS

For more information contact:

EDF Press Office: edf@goodrelations.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

About EDF

EDF is helping Britain achieve Net Zero by leading the transition to a cleaner, low emission electric future and tackling climate change. It is the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity(1), meeting around one-fifth of the country’s demand and supplying millions of customers with electricity and gas.

It generates low carbon electricity from six nuclear power stations and more than thirty onshore wind farms and two offshore wind farms, and operates one coal power station, EV charge-points, and combined heat and power plants.

EDF is leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, and is leading the development of plans for a replica at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes.

EDF is one of the UK’s largest investors in renewables, with 1GW of renewable generation in operation and over 4GW in construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage. We are constructing our largest offshore wind farm in Britain – the 450 MW Neart na Gaoithe project in Scotland which will be ready in 2023.

EDF is helping its customers, both in business and at home, take their first steps to sustainably powering their lives. Whether it is buying an electric car, generating and storing electricity or selling energy back to the grid. EDF is one of the largest suppliers to British business and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. In addition, the company’s energy services business, Imtech, is one of the largest technical service providers in the UK and Ireland.

EDF is part of EDF Group, the world’s biggest electricity generator. In the UK, the company employs around 13,000 people at locations across England and Scotland.