Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing incentives on the use of heat batteries similar to those on heat pumps.

Heat batteries are a promising electric heating technology, which can be charged off-peak to utilise cheaper electricity. However, they are less efficient than heat pumps and if a battery has insufficient storage capacity, it may need to draw electricity at peak times which can add to the burden on the electricity network. Consequently, policies like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, are currently focused on supporting heat pumps. However, my Department is exploring, through studies like the Homes for Net Zero trial, the role heat batteries could play in the future.