Award recognises tepeo’s ZEB heat battery boiler as a practical, low-disruption solution for decarbonising UK home heating
tepeo has won the Energy Innovation category at the 2024 Ashden Awards, recognising its work to make low-carbon heating more practical and accessible for UK homes.
The award celebrates tepeo’s ZEB, a heat battery boiler designed to replace fossil fuel boilers in suitable homes while working with familiar wet central heating systems, including radiators and hot water.
Domestic heating accounts for around 13% of UK carbon emissions, making it one of the country’s biggest decarbonisation challenges. Ashden recognised tepeo as part of a growing group of climate innovators helping to cut emissions while supporting a fairer, more sustainable future.
For many homeowners, the heating choice can feel limited: replace a gas boiler with another gas boiler, or install a heat pump. While heat pumps are an important solution for many properties, not every home is ready for one. tepeo’s ZEB offers another option: a better boiler powered by smart electricity.
The ZEB stores electricity as heat in a highly insulated core, then releases that heat when the home needs warmth and hot water. It can be installed with minimal changes to existing plumbing and heating systems, helping households move away from fossil fuel heating without unnecessary disruption.
Johan du Plessis, CEO and founder of Tepeo, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to win the 2024 Ashden Award for Energy Innovation. Decarbonising home heating is one of the UK’s toughest climate challenges, and there won’t be a single solution that works for every home. The ZEB was created for people who want to move away from gas but still want the comfort and familiarity of central heating. It charges like a battery, heats like a boiler, and gives homeowners a practical way to be warm without fossil fuels in the home. This award is a huge recognition of our team, our installer partners and the role heat battery boilers can play in the UK’s transition to cleaner heating.”
Ashden also highlighted Tepeo’s contribution to green skills, stating that “tepeo’s work to train up plumbers to install the products will help many more workers acquire skills for a green economy.”
The judges also praised tepeo’s wider role in education and skills, noting their admiration for “tepeo’s work to educate consumers, and its commitment to building green skills in the plumbing industry.”
The recognition builds on tepeo’s previous success as a finalist in the 2023 Ashden Awards. Winning the 2024 Energy Innovation category marks a significant milestone for both tepeo and the emerging heat battery boiler category.
The UK will need a range of technologies to decarbonise home heating, from heat pumps to heat networks, energy efficiency upgrades and heat batteries. The ZEB is designed to support homes where a low-disruption, boiler-like replacement is needed.
By storing energy as heat, the ZEB can also help homes make better use of smart electricity as the grid becomes cleaner and more flexible.
Johan du Plessis added:
“Most people don’t want to become heating experts. They want a warm home, reliable hot water and a system they can trust. Our job is to make low-carbon heating feel simple, familiar and achievable.”
About tepeo
tepeo is a UK clean technology company developing low-carbon heating solutions for homes. Its flagship product, the ZEB, is a heat battery boiler designed to replace fossil fuel boilers and expensive direct electric heating in suitable properties.
The ZEB works with familiar wet central heating systems, including radiators and hot water, while storing energy as heat and using smart electricity to help keep homes warm without gas.
tepeo engineers and manufactures the ZEB in the UK.
About the ZEB
The ZEB is a heat battery boiler. It stores electricity as heat in a highly insulated core and releases that heat to provide heating and hot water when needed.
In simple terms: it charges like a battery and heats like a boiler.
The ZEB is designed for homes that want a practical route away from fossil fuel heating, particularly where a low-disruption replacement is important.
About the Ashden Awards
The Ashden Awards celebrate outstanding climate solutions in the UK and Global South. The awards recognise organisations delivering practical innovation that supports a fairer, more sustainable future.