Saving energy and money with thermal energy storage
What is thermal energy storage?
Thermal energy storage is a way of storing excess heat energy to use another time, just like a battery stores electricity. If you’re using a renewable heating system to power your home, thermal energy storage can boost its efficiency, and allow you to have hot water and heat whenever you need it.
The benefits of thermal batteries
Lets you store heat to use later
Thermal energy storage solutions mean you can have hot water on-demand. For instance, if your home is heated with solar power, thermal energy storage means you won’t have to wait for the sun to come out - when excess energy is created, it’s saved for later use. Plus, you can set your thermal store to prioritise this ready-made heat, rather than generating new heat from another source.
Works with multiple energy sources
A thermal battery is powered by multiple renewable heating systems, such as solar, heat pumps, and log fires. So, when one system isn’t running, you won’t have to worry about a cold shower - you can simply take advantage of another heat source as needed.
Cheaper energy bills
Thermal batteries mean you won’t have to generate heat every time you need hot water, significantly boosting your home’s energy efficiency. The cutting-edge PCM technology also has a far lower rate of heat loss than both hot water cylinders. So, by using a thermal battery in conjunction with a renewable heating source, you could see big savings on your energy bills.
More environmentally friendly
A big part of our homes’ carbon footprint comes from our heating and hot water. Because they allow you to store heat energy from your home’s renewable heating systems - rather than letting it go to waste - thermal batteries are a more sustainable choice, and can play an important role in helping us move to a greener future.
Small and compact
Thermal batteries are up to four times smaller than a hot water cylinder. They’ll give you back some precious space in your home that you can use for storage, making them perfect for smaller homes and apartments.
Easy installation
Heatio can install thermal batteries in a quick and fuss-free process that takes just one day. Once installed, the batteries have a very long life, and don’t require any mandatory maintenance.
How thermal energy storage works
There are two main ways of storing heat energy:
Thermal stores
A thermal store holds heat energy as hot water, just like the hot water cylinder you might already have at home. But instead of a conventional boiler, a thermal store is heated by one or a combination of renewable heating technologies, such as a heat pump, a wood-fuelled boiler, and solar power. Another difference is that water from the thermal store doesn’t travel directly to your tap - it transfers the heat to cold water from your mains.
Heat batteries
A heat battery is an innovative technology that contains a non-toxic phase change material (PCM) instead of hot water. The PCM changes to a liquid when it absorbs heat, and back into a solid when it releases the heat. Because the heat absorption is much more concentrated, these batteries can be much smaller than a thermal store with water.
Sunamp products
Heatio works with Sunamp, a pioneering provider of this efficient and energy-saving way to heat your water supply with renewable energy. Sunamp’s thermal batteries can work in conjunction with heat pumps, solar PV, and boilers.
Thermino iPV
The Thermino iPV is a thermal battery that can seamlessly replace your hot water cylinder. It delivers hot water from your boiler and solar PV, and will automatically top up the charge with off-peak electricity from the grid when needed.
Thermino ePV
The Thermino ePV model takes its energy from solar PV, storing surplus energy that would otherwise be returned to the grid. It can also use electricity from the grid for greater flexibility.
Thermino hp
The Thermino hp thermal battery is designed for homes with heat pumps, and no space for an indirect hot water cylinder. They’re compatible with a variety of heat pumps from a range of manufacturers.
Thermino i
The Sunamp Thermino i thermal battery stores heat from boilers. It also has a standby electric heating element, so you can rest assured your home will have easy access to hot water around the clock.
If you want to know more about howyou can power your hot water supply with renewable energy, contact us now for your Heatio Home Energy Score. Discover your home's energy potential and get ready to take the first step towards saving space, cutting emissions, and seeing savings on your energy bills.
