Freddie van Mierlo MP Visits Tetsworth Home to See Heat Battery Technology in Action
Henley and Thame MP, Freddie van Mierlo, recently visited a constituent's home in Tetsworth to see how an innovative heat battery boiler provides a practical alternative to traditional fossil fuel heating.
A long-standing advocate for heat battery technology, van Mierlo was encouraged to learn that households in his own constituency had begun installing the systems, and was invited to see one for himself by a homeowner who had replaced their old heating system with a tepeo heat battery boiler. The heat battery charges using off-peak electricity and stores the energy for use when needed, helping to lower energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.
During the visit, van Mierlo saw first-hand how the system fits into a family home. He also heard from the homeowner about the installation process, the ease of living with the technology, and its impact on heating costs.
Johan du Plessis, tepeo's Chief Executive Officer, also joined the visit and explained that heat batteries are increasingly being fitted in homes, particularly where other low carbon heating solutions, such as heat pumps, can be impractical due to space constraints and more complex installation work.
van Mierlo has followed the development of heat battery technology closely and has previously raised its potential with ministers, arguing that it deserves a bigger role in the government's heating strategy. He believes the case for heat batteries has only strengthened as more households come forward, like this one, with practical evidence of the savings and reliability the technology delivers. It was recently announced that heat batteries will soon be added to the Government's flagship boiler upgrade subsidy scheme.
Speaking after the visit, Freddie van Mierlo MP said:
“This technology is UK developed and manufactured, fits around how homes already work, can reduce energy costs and is greener than gas. I’ve been trying to find any downsides to this produce but I genuinely can’t find any.”
“As we transition to low carbon technologies, the government should further support uptake of this technology with VAT relief in a similar way to heat pumps, as well as decouple electricity prices from gas so that those who are choosing to switch see the benefits in their bills”
The constituent said they were very pleased to show van Mierlo how the system had performed, and hoped it would encourage other local homeowners to consider their own options for cutting carbon and costs.
The visit reinforced van Mierlo's long-standing call for government support to cover low carbon heating technologies like heat batteries - not just heat pumps, so that every household can find a low-carbon heating solution suited to their own home.