Quick summary: the switch at a glance
The property: 2-bedroom semi-detached home.
The household: A couple with a small child.
The problem: They wanted to reduce their carbon footprint and move away from relying on gas, but a heat pump looked like it could mean more disruption, more changes to the home and higher installation costs.
The solution: The tepeo ZEB heat battery boiler, installed in the living room where an existing radiator had been.
The result: A lower-disruption switch away from gas, with heating and hot water that feels familiar day to day.
The challenge: moving away from gas without turning the home upside down
For this family, moving away from gas was part of a wider effort to make their home cleaner and more efficient.
They had already started by installing solar panels. Once the panels were generating electricity, it made sense to look at other parts of the home that could move from gas to electric.
Heating was the obvious next step.
Like many households, they were used to relying on a gas boiler for heating and hot water. But as they thought more about their carbon footprint, they wanted to find a cleaner alternative that would work for their home and family life.
The goal was simple: reduce their reliance on gas without creating weeks of disruption.
Looking at the options
The family explored an air source heat pump, but it did not feel like the right route for their home.
There were a few concerns. A heat pump may have required pipework changes, radiator upgrades and an outdoor unit that would take up space on the drive. The installation also looked like it could be more expensive and more disruptive than they wanted.
They did not want weeks without heating.
They did not want a large retrofit project.
And they did not want to make lots of changes to a home that was already working well for them.
They wanted a cleaner way to heat the house, but they also wanted life to carry on as normally as possible.
Choosing the tepeo ZEB
The tepeo ZEB offered a different route.
As a heat battery boiler, the ZEB could replace their gas boiler while working with their existing wet central heating system. It gave the family a way to move away from gas without the larger system changes they had been worried about.
The installation itself was straightforward and completed within a day.
For the family, that was one of the biggest advantages. Instead of facing a long, disruptive installation, the ZEB could be fitted quickly and with minimal disruption to the home.
It also gave them the opportunity to use a smart electricity tariff, charging when electricity was cheaper and storing heat for when the home needed it.
Finding the right place for the ZEB
At first, the family considered installing the ZEB under the stairs, where their old gas boiler had been.
But after looking at the space and how they used the home, they decided to place the ZEB in the living room instead, replacing an existing radiator.
That decision had an added benefit: the original boiler cupboard became useful storage again.
It is a good example of how ZEB installations can be designed around the way a home actually works. Rather than simply putting the new system exactly where the old boiler had been, the family were able to choose a setup that suited their space better.
Life with the ZEB
The family have now been living with the ZEB for around a year.
Day to day, they say it works much like their old gas boiler. The heating comes on when they need it, and they have hot water when they need it.
In practical terms, the switch has not changed how they live in the home. The main difference is that they are no longer using gas for their heating.
For a family that wanted to lower their carbon footprint without making home life more complicated, that was exactly the point.
The ZEB has given them a cleaner heating setup while keeping the experience of heating the home familiar and easy to manage.
Why it worked for this home
This family’s story shows that moving away from gas does not always need to mean a major home project.
For them, the ZEB worked because it offered:
- a practical alternative to another gas boiler
- a lower-disruption installation
- no outdoor unit on the drive
- no major pipework or radiator changes
- compatibility with their existing central heating
- a way to make better use of a smart electricity tariff
- familiar heating and hot water day to day
- a cleaner electric setup alongside their solar panels
The family wanted to make a change, but they needed that change to fit around real life.
The ZEB gave them a way to do both.
Would they recommend it?
After a year with the ZEB, the family said they would recommend it to others considering the switch.
Their advice was simple: “go for it”.
For them, the ZEB has made moving away from gas feel practical, manageable and familiar. It has helped them take another step towards a cleaner home, without the disruption they feared from other low-carbon heating options.
Thinking about replacing your gas boiler?
If you are looking for a cleaner alternative to gas heating, the tepeo ZEB could be suitable for your home.
Start with our quick home check to see whether your property could be a good fit.