Kaluza, EDF & Dimplex join forces to cut carbon through smart heating
- Heating represents 30% of the UK’s carbon emissions* and is one of the most complex challenges in reaching net zero
- Kaluza and EDF are collaborating to intelligently control electric storage heaters from Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation (GDHV), lowering household energy bills and carbon emissions in the UK
EDF and Kaluza, OVO Group’s intelligent energy platform, announced today that they are trialling an innovative solution to the UK’s heating challenge in the transition to a zero carbon grid. Over 100 internet-connected storage heaters from GDHV are being intelligently controlled by Kaluza, helping to warm homes with electricity that is less costly and carbon intensive.
Storage heaters are a useful way to heat homes more cheaply as they charge overnight on off-peak electricity which they use to release heat throughout the day. Dimplex’s high efficiency heaters go further to monitor the weather and home heating habits, automatically adjusting to deliver a comfortable temperature 24 hours a day.
Connecting Dimplex’s devices to its AI platform, Kaluza uses EDF’s electricity price data, along with live information from the heaters, to optimise their electricity use and reduce the grid’s carbon output as part of a more flexible energy system.
Jean-Benoit Ritz, Director of Innovation and Blue Lab at EDF in the UK commented: “Switching heating in homes from carbon-intensive fossil fuels to lower carbon electricity is one of the most important things Britain will need to do to cut its emissions. At the same time, households with storage heaters can struggle to access efficient, cost-effective heat.
“We have to get smarter and make the most of the digital, data-driven solutions out there that can power homes with low carbon energy when it is needed. This trial is just one way that EDF is investing to accelerate the transition to low carbon heating and we are delighted to be working with Kaluza to deliver customer-focused innovation that will help us reach net-zero.”
Conor Maher-McWilliams, Head of Flexibility at Kaluza commented: “Heating our homes with gas is going to have to end for the UK to hit net zero. Mass electrification offers great promise, but it also introduces fresh complexity into the energy system.
"The only way to create an efficient and resilient grid able to handle this new demand will be through smart technologies in people’s homes. This way we can intelligently spread demand throughout the day, helping to reduce grid stress, carbon emissions and energy costs. Partnering with EDF and GDHV is a big step in shaping this new, flexible reality.”
Neil Stewart, CEO at GDHV added: “There’s currently a stigma around the electrification of home heating and that’s because of the cost of electricity which the government places a higher levy on than carbon intensive fuels. Creating workable solutions that allow households to heat their homes efficiently and affordably through electrification is a vital step towards the future of heating.
“There is also huge potential to reduce the carbon output of homes through electrification but solutions need to be made more attractive to end users. This trial is a great way of showcasing exactly what can be achieved by forward-thinking organisations working together towards a goal that benefits energy consumers and the environment.”
* DESNZ, ‘Clean Growth – Transforming Heating’, Dec 2018
About Kaluza
Kaluza is OVO Group’s intelligent energy platform able to connect and control millions of smart devices across people’s homes, such as electric vehicles, heaters and batteries. The platform uses machine learning and AI to create a more flexible energy system, optimising devices to use energy off-peak, when costs and carbon levels are lower. Working with a range of industry-leading hardware manufacturers, energy suppliers and grid operators, Kaluza is driving the global transition to a distributed and secure, zero-carbon grid.
For more information on Kaluza, please visit: www.kaluza.com
About Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation
Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation encompasses other industry notable brands including Burco, Campa, Creda, Dimplex, Faber, NOBO, Redring, Valor and Xpelair.
The company is the market leader in electric heating appliances in Europe and a leading player in decorative electric and gas fires. In installed heating, it designs, develops and manufactures professionally installed heating and ventilation systems for residential and commercial buildings. This ranges from smart electric heating systems using the latest control and communications technologies, through to heating networks encompassing heat pumps, MVHR systems and a range of heat emitters.
www.gdhv.com
For more information
EDF Media Team
24-hour press line: +44 (0)1452 652233
media@edfenergy.com
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) and supplies millions of customers with electricity and gas.
It generates low carbon electricity from five nuclear power stations and more than thirty onshore wind farms and two offshore wind farms.
EDF is leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C, and there are advanced 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 more than 1.5GW of renewable generation in operation and almost 14GW in 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.
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, selling energy back to the grid or installing a heat pump. 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, Dalkia, 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 14,000 people at locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
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