Ovo Energy has announced a new partnership between its technology arm Kaluza and the heating and ventilation division of the consumers electronics manufacturer Glen Dimplex.
The supplier says the alliance will allow Kaluza, an intelligent energy platform, to “unlock the flexibility” from storage heaters sold under the Dimplex brand and help to drive forward the decarbonisation of heating.
Under the terms of the deal, customers will be able to buy Dimplex’s Quantum storage heaters and Q-Rad electric radiators directly through the Ovo Energy website. Purchases will include installation by an electrician who will also remove and dispose of any old heaters they are replacing.
Ovo claims the Kaluza platform can aggregate a “limitless numbers of storage devices” – such as electric heaters, domestic batteries and electric vehicles (EVs) – to produce “an enormous amount” of flexible load.
It says the facility to store excess energy can lower the cost of electrification by reducing the need for backup generation and investment in the power grid to increase its peak capacity. Analysis by Imperial College London has indicated that deploying smart flexible heating could cut decarbonisation costs by £3.9 billion per year.
According to figures released by Ofgem, there are 1.7 million homes with electric storage heating in the UK. With an estimated combined peak load of 12GW, Ovo says the heaters in these properties represent the largest grid-connected storage asset in the UK.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, chief executive and founder of Ovo, said: “Renewable energy is rapidly transforming the power sector but the way we heat our homes hasn’t changed in decades.
“Decarbonising heat is an enormously complex challenge that will require technology innovation, new regulation and creative partnerships.
“We are delighted that Kaluza is partnering with Glen Dimplex, the market leaders in electric heating, and combine our technologies to take a significant step forward to decarbonising heat.”
Steven Mortimer, chief commercial officer at Glen Dimplex, said: “Through this strategic partnership with OVO and the integration of Kaluza, users can enjoy additional benefits whilst facilitating new opportunities to unlock the potential of lower carbon electric heating to support the government’s decarbonisation goal.”
Mitsubishi Corporation recently announced it had bought a 20 per cent stake in Ovo.