Heat pumps are the same technology as fridges and work by moving heat from outside air to indoor radiators. As they are powered by electricity, they are considered the most efficient way for the UK to shift to low-carbon heating and away from the gas-fired boilers that heat the majority of the UK’s 28 million homes.
To help hit net zero targets, the UK government wants to grow the market in heat pumps to 600,000 installations per year by 2028 and is offering grants of £7,500 to property owners through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Raises £1M funding
Utilising the growing trend, Nusku, a Bristol-based startup looking to revolutionise the way we heat our homes has raised almost £1 million in investment, including a grant of over £727K from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ).
This follows £245K pre-seed funding from key people within the energy sector, including Kate and Andy Rankin, the founders of Midsummer Energy, one of the UK’s leading wholesale distributors of renewable energy systems; Lee Sutton, Founder of MyEnergi, an award-winning British designer and manufacturer of renewable energy products; and Michael Sweeney and Owen Coyle, the founders of Union Technical, leading installers of heating, insulation and renewables.
Cheaper and efficient heat pump technology
Nusku was founded by Russell Murchie, a former fluid dynamics engineer at Dyson alongside Matthew Whitefoot and Andy Mckay in 2022 in Bristol to develop a new air source heat pump technology.
This new technology from Nusku is said to be cheaper and quicker to install, taking a few days rather than over a week. It is also touted to be more attractive than existing heat pumps. This will appeal to homeowners whose existing gas boiler has broken and those who want a hassle-free and environmentally friendly replacement.
Another key ambition is for the Nusku heating system to be the smartest, most connected, and efficient on the market when it launches in the next few years.
Russell Murchie, co-founder at Nusku said: “The idea for Nusku stemmed from a chat about why heat pumps are so popular in other countries, but not in the UK. There’s no real alternative to gas boilers at the moment in the UK, even though they will gradually be phased out and more environmentally friendly solutions are needed. Bristol being a city with a rich engineering history suits Nusku very well. We’ve been able to recruit some excellent staff who are not only technically competent but have a strong desire to use their skills to help make a difference in the world, which is ultimately what we hope our heating system will achieve through cutting carbon dioxide emissions.”