SSEN has welcomed a landmark in their drive to decarbonise heat in Scottish buildings with the installation of the first combined heat pump and home heat battery storage system in a home near Inverness.

The Re-HEAT project is testing the benefits of zero carbon heating for households and how Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) can manage the impact that heat pumps may have on grids.

Re-HEAT is a large-scale trial led by electricity DNOs, SP Energy Networks and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), working in partnership with energy supply and solutions provider E.ON, heat pump manufacturers, Daikin and thermal storage unit manufacturers, Sunamp.

Installation of heat pumps with storage can help provide a comfortable temperature because they operate at a consistent rate throughout the day. The Re-HEAT project will test whether participating households can reduce their energy bills compared to LPG, oil or pure electric heating, for example by taking advantage of times when electricity prices are lower to charge their heat batteries. In the future, smart devices will allow households and businesses to benefit from flexing their energy use in response to a request, which will give them greater control over their energy bills whilst helping to balance supply and demand on the local electricity network.

The Scottish Government is committed to reaching net zero by 2045 and decarbonising heat in buildings is a priority. Heat pumps are already appearing across Scotland, with 22,000 already installed across SSEN's licence area in the north of Scotland, a figure that is expected to increase tenfold by the end of the decade.

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To maximise the benefit of a heat pump system, the fabric of the property, such as its insulation, must be of a sufficient standard to allow a consistent temperature to be maintained. Insulation can also help keep energy bills lower for residents. Participants in the Re-HEAT project are assessed to ensure their properties are suitable for these technologies.

Catherine McDade, Re-HEAT Project participant: "I am finding my home lovely and warm. This is great because it wasn’t before the heat pump was installed. I love that I don’t have to touch the controls and the heating just comes on when the temperature drops. I have plenty of hot water. I would definitely recommend the heat pump."

Rhys Williams, Re-HEAT Project Manager for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said: "We are delighted to have reached the landmark of installing the first heat pump in a customer’s home and look forward to tracking the benefits to that household over the next couple of winters. Households with a heat pump and an electric vehicle can have a peak electricity requirement that is twenty times higher than households without these low carbon technologies. It is therefore essential that we manage the transition to net zero technologies as efficiently and cost effectively as possible."

Charlotte Flowerdew, Programme Manager at E.ON said: "We are delighted to be part of this ground-breaking project in Scotland. We have seen impressive uptake from households but there is still some time for eligible homeowners to take advantage of the funding available to upgrade their heating and hot water system to the latest technology. This will help lower carbon footprints and may help to reduce heating costs."

Scott Mathieson, Network Planning & Regulation Director at SP Energy Networks, said: "Our electricity networks are at the heart of the transition to a Net Zero Scotland, and we recognise the need to take action now to ensure they are able to cope with the significant increase in demand we know we’ll see as more low carbon technology is connected.

"We are really pleased to see our Re-HEAT project reach its first significant milestone, kickstarting our work to explore how electricity networks can facilitate the large-scale electrification of heat – which comes at a time when innovative solutions are more critical than ever to ensuring a Just Transition and to enabling us to keep power flowing to our customers and communities."

The Scottish Government, SSEN and SP Energy Networks are part of a Heat Electrification Strategic Partnership, focused on accelerating the decarbonisation of heating in Scotland.

Re-HEAT is a £5 million project, funded via a number of schemes including £1.26m from the Scottish Government's Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme and £1.2m from Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland.