Connected cylinders can provide a practical hot water storage solution to turning renewable energy inputs into something useful and banking the energy for when it needs to be used. As energy security continues to be a cause for concern for the UK, an HWA industry report has identified the potential role of hot water cylinders in balancing demand on the electrical grid.The report explores the potential for hot water cylinders to be used as thermal stores for grid electricity to build resilience in peak periods. Heating engineers will be key in the process of making this a reality.

If the nine million cylinders in UK homes were connected through smart controls and used as batteries, the National Grid could unlock 23GWh of energy storage – around half the energy used per day in the UK.

For Heating Engineers interested in finding out more about the role they can play in the rollout of thermal storage in the UK, the HWA and CIPHE are hosting a dedicated webinar to provide information and guidance on energy storage potential and ‘grid enabled’ hot water stores.

The webinar is being held on 13th February at 6pm till 7pm and registration is open now