Lawrence shares why the ZEB felt like the perfect fit for his three-bedroom home in Cambridge.
About You & Your Home
I live in a semi-detached 3 bed home, first built in the early 1900s. It is mainly just me living here, with my partner and kids coming over from time to time.
Pre-ZEB I had a traditional gas boiler, radiators and hot water tank set up.
I wanted to decarbonise – something not everyone can do easily, so feel strongly that those of us who can, should.
Why You Chose the ZEB
I feel strongly that if you have the opportunity to decarbonise your home’s heating, you should do everything you can to make it happen. That’s why, rather than simply swapping my existing system for another gas boiler, I wanted to find a more sustainable solution – it just felt like the right thing to do.
I first heard about tepeo and the ZEB via the excellent Everything Electric Show YouTube channel with Robert Llewelyn – the episode where he shows all the systems around his house caught my attention and got me exploring tepeo and the ZEB.
What really made the decision easy for me was how straightforward the installation was – no need for any external units or extra space outside the house. Plus, not having to upgrade or replace my radiators was a bonus.
Did you consider anything else? If so, what helped you make the final decision?
I was very very close to having an air-source heat pump put in. In the end it was the supplier not offering me an alternative to a massive tepid water tank going in to replace my existing hot water tank. As I’d already switched to using the immersion heater and off-peak electricity to heat the hot water tank, this seemed a really unnecessary backwards step. And not very green!
Reducing my carbon footprint was one of the most important factors for me and I was ideally looking for a system that wouldn’t cost me the earth to run. Easy installation with minimal disruption and something that could work with the existing system was also a deciding factor and finally, I felt like tepeo’s approach and values aligned with me which was an added bonus.
Getting Set Up
The installation with Brimstone Energy went really smoothly, it took about a week to get everything fully set-up with no nasty surprises.
The electrician being unwell caused a slight delay – maybe half a day – but that wasn’t a problem.
Overall things went as planned and it was done and dusted quite quickly.
Living with the ZEB
I’ve had my ZEB for a couple months now.
It’s been performing really well – I only needed it for 5 weeks after the install before the warm weather started.
Compared to my old heating system, I’ve noticed a big difference. I hadn’t expected it, but since the ZEB can deliver heat at around 15kW – nearly double the output of my old gas boiler – the house now warms up in what feels like minutes, rather than the half-hour it used to take.
Also my cold back room is now my warm back room! The small amount of heat that the ZEB gives out is just enough to make a north facing dining room a much nicer place to be in at any time.
As an engineer I love looking at data – but broadly at 8p/kWh I’m not too fussed about whether it fills up a bit more than expected or not.
I suspect I’ll be all over it again come the autumn, but only for entertainment – it takes care of itself very nicely.
Your Thoughts So Far
The biggest benefit of having the ZEB so far is feeling the house get nice and warm and at a good rate whilst warming up my once very cold back room.
I recommend it to anyone within earshot! In fact, Matt from Brimstone has already introduced another potential customer, and I’ve been happy to show them the system in action.
And Finally…quick fire round!
If you could do anything differently, what would it be?
Nothing, I am pleased with how everything panned out.
What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about getting a ZEB?
Do it! Make sure you get on well with the potential installer too – always helps.
Anything else you’d like to share?
It’s a great product which deserves to do really well. If you can make one that fits into a kitchen appliance space I think it would be exceptional.
When it comes to decarbonising your home, it doesn’t have to mean major disruption or extra costs. With the right setup, like a green off-peak tariff, you can run a ZEB with no higher running costs than gas. No need for solar panels, new radiators, or clunky external boxes. Just clean heat, made simple.