Heating firm Hewer has launched ‘Heat Saviour’, a technology that’s set to save £2,000 per installation by cutting labour costs.
The tech sits underneath a standard hot water cylinder and is said to work with all major heat pump brands, meaning the system is no longer tied to one manufacturer.
The product promises to minimise system downtime, as well as have built in backup heating during maintenance or a pump failure.
Stuart Hesk, director at Hewer, said: “Installing and retrofitting heat pumps can be complex, costly and disruptive.
“They are often designed with non-universal parts, requiring entire heating systems to be ripped out – systems that could have years of use left in them.
“Heat Saviour™ is a much smarter and cheaper way for engineers to install and maintain a heat pump, making property management easier and improving residential satisfaction.
“We saw the huge amounts of unnecessary waste, cost and downtime that installing and retrofitting heat pumps was causing, and so, as a customer-first business, we set about inventing a solution to tackle these issues.”
With glycol only in the heat pump circuit, it cuts glycol use by 80%, which is better for the environment, and allows radiator maintenance without the costly expense of having to drain and replace the glycol solution.
As part of its Net Zero plan, the government aims to install 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028, with gas boilers banned in new homes from 2027.
Yet heat pump sales fell short last year, barely hitting 100,000, according to the Heat Pump Association.
In response, the government has pledged to double the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to £295m and launched a public awareness campaign to spotlight the £7,500 heat pump grant.
Over 1,000 social housing properties across the South West already use Heat Saviour, including those managed by social housing providers; Two Rivers Housing, Bromford, Green Square Accord, Rooftop Housing Group, Community Housing and Cottsway Housing Association.
Hesk added: “There’s been no post-installation callbacks on the social housing installations since we implemented Heat Saviour ™.
“One of the reasons for this is due to the central heating circuit being separate from the heat pump. This helps to prevent sludge from older systems – often still present even after cleaning – from reaching the heat pump filters, which can reduce performance and affect reliability.
“Our mission was to design a cost effective, durable and sustainable solution with lower upfront costs and simple servicing, which makes the government heat pump grant go further.
“A design which simplifies installations from new builds to even older properties, which aren’t conducive to heat pump systems; meeting the needs of all homeowners, landlords and tenants, including social housing providers.