Ideal Heating has joined a global partnership, the Mercury Consortium, launched to increase the adoption of clean energy technologies, including heat pumps.
The company has joined organisations including EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Amazon Web Services as founding members of the consortium.
According to a company statement, Ideal Heating will explore how its heat pumps interact with other energy devices and smart technologies in the home and how they can work better with the electricity grid.
By simplifying communication with the broader energy ecosystem, the statement added that Ideal’s heat pumps can work more efficiently, collecting smart data to run at the best times and helping customers save money.
Andy Farquhar, Ideal Heating senior product manager, said: “Heat pump technologies give customers a new opportunity to access cheaper, flexible electricity tariffs, while comfortably heating their homes.
“We want our customers to be front and centre of product development and innovation, so they can benefit from adopting low carbon technologies and supporting the drive to net zero.
“Being part of the Mercury Consortium enables us to work with the wider industry to ensure our products work intelligently with energy providers, helping customers save money and heat their homes efficiently.”
The Mercury Consortium is managed by non-profit research and development organisation EPRI.
Jason Hookey, chief digital officer, UK, Republic of Ireland and North America, for Groupe Atlantic, added: “Heating is one of the biggest consumptions of energy in a home. This collaboration is about understanding how, if you then add something like solar panels or an EV charger, these systems interact with your heat pump to further improve efficiency and maximise cost savings.
“We need to be a responsible part of the wider energy ecosystem. The future of all products is going to be connected, and the simpler we can make that for both the customer and the installer, the better.
“We’re part of that energy jigsaw, and we all need to work together to reach net zero quicker, while maintaining energy security and keeping homes warm.”