OVO teams up with electrical heating giant Glen Dimplex

OVO yesterday announced plans for a new series of partnerships with leading hardware manufacturers, unveiling an alliance with electrical heating specialist Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation.

The energy company's recently launch intelligent technology division, Kaluza, confirmed it is to work with Dimplex to integrate its intelligent energy management platform with Dimplex Quantum high heat retention storage heaters.

The companies hope the energy management functionality will help to unlock the "in-built flexibility" that characterises storage heaters and shift energy consumption away from peak periods, delivering cost and carbon emissions savings in the process.

OVO said that a previous analysis undertaken with Imperial College London found that smart electric heat systems could reduce the cost of decarbonising heat by up to £3.9bn a year.

The announcement comes just a week after the CCC published a major new report on the UK's efforts to cut building emissions, which suggested the government should ensure new homes are not connected to the gas network from 2025 and should instead rely on electrical systems for heat and cooking.

However, OVO said there are already 1.7 million homes in the UK with electric storage heating systems, representing a combined peak capacity of 12GW and constituting the largest grid-connected storage asset in the UK.

"The ability to use this capacity intelligently, as a flexible energy source, can lower the cost of electrification," the company said. "This is because more efficient use of energy through storage at times of excess generation reduces the need for back-up generation and excess investment to reinforce and expand the energy network."

Dimplex is the world's largest provider of electrical heating systems and boasts a 90 per cent market share in the UK storage heater market. Through the new partnership, Dimplex Quantum high heat retention storage heaters and Dimplex Q-Rad electric radiators will be made available for customers to purchase directly through the OVO Energy website.

The company added that a number of further hardware partnerships were in the pipeline as it seeks to develop new services to help customers decarbonise heat and transport alongside their power supplies.

"Renewable energy is rapidly transforming the power sector, but the way we heat our homes hasn't changed in decades," said Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO and founder of OVO. "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 Heating & Ventilation, said the partnership would further bolster the attractiveness of its storage heating systems to customers.

"Our innovative Dimplex Quantum off-peak heating system was the first product to be categorised as a high heat retention storage heater in SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure), representing a new generation of storage technology with enhanced control, lower running costs and greater flexibility than conventional storage heating," he said. "Now, 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."