Birmingham tech firm warms up for growth with new heating system

A BIRMINGHAM technology business is looking for growth after launching a new smart heating system.

Heat Genius, based at Innovation Birmingham Campus, claims to have developed the UK’s first heating control system that learns the typical occupancy patterns of each room in a home. This data can then be used alongside personal preferences to create the most cost and energy efficient heating programme.
 
The heating control system takes the place of a traditional boiler programmer and radiator valves. By fitting wireless occupancy sensors and combining these with wireless radiator valves, the system can learn when rooms are used and automatically adjust the heating accordingly.

Following trials conducted in 15 test houses, Heat Genius has invested in first phase manufacturing facilities, which will enable 300 orders per month to be fulfilled. The cost of the system is £860 for a typical three-bedroom house.  
 
Alasdair Woodbridge, co-founder of Heat Genius, said: “Independent studies – including those carried out by Microsoft and Cambridge University – have shown that the annual cost of heating a domestic home can be reduced by up to 25% through the use of zoned programming. What we’ve developed is an ‘intelligent’ system that learns typical occupancy patterns and will work in the vast majority of UK homes that have broadband internet and central heating.

“A zoned heating system is an ideal way of creating energy efficiencies in homes that are hard to treat with insulation, such as older period properties. It also addresses the fact people in the UK now run their homes at significantly higher temperatures in the winter than they did 40 years ago.”
 
Heat Genius has also developed a smartphone app to enable the temperature of each room that has its wireless radiator valves fitted to be set independently. The data collected from the wireless occupancy sensors will indicate the times each room is typically in use, guiding the home owner on when to set the heating to be on.

Heat Genius is one of 11 start-ups on Innovation Birmingham’s Low Carbon Incubator Programme, which is part of the European-wide Climate KIC (Knowledge Innovation Community).