With Innovate UK EDGE support to raise crowdfunding finance, UK manufacturing start-up Caldera is leading the way towards smarter, more sustainable methods of storing heat
“It’s like a cross between a giant night storage heater and a thermos flask,” says James Macnaghten, CEO of Caldera Heat Batteries Ltd. Caldera’s innovative heating solution uses a novel, heat-retaining material called Warmstone, which heats up using cheap off-peak electricity. Insulated in a vacuum, this heat can then be stored for more than three weeks, delivering plenty of hot water on demand.
The Warmstone heat battery can be used as a straight swap for conventional boilers: because it heats water to the same temperature as the boiler it replaces, the existing pipes and radiators in a building don’t need to be upgraded. Warmstone is designed for retro-fitting properties, and is especially well suited to those that are off the gas grid (and have been using oil instead), as well as those with solar panels (it’s a great way of storing energy from solar PV).
In larger, older homes in particular, as well as other buildings such as offices and churches, Warmstone units can be a more sustainable, flexible and cost-effective option than conventional boilers.
