Nusku, a Bristol-based startup, has secured almost £1 million in funding to develop air source heat pump technology, aiming to build heat pumps that are cheaper to use and faster to install.
The startup was formed in early 2022 by Russel Murchie, Matthew Whitefoot and Andy Mckay, and the total investment includes a grant of over £700,000 from the government.
“The idea for Nusku stemmed from a chat about why heat pumps are so popular in other countries, but not in the UK,” said Murchie. “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.
“Heat pumps have been promised as the alternative for more than 20 years, so why does a homeowner who could afford one not want one?”
Another of the startup’s ambitions is for the Nusku heating system to be ‘the smartest, most connected and efficient on the market’. Exact details of the system are currently awaiting patent.
The funding injection from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) follows £245,000 pre-seed funding from a number of industry names, including MyEnergi founder Lee Sutton.
DESNZ’s grant, awarded via the government’s Heat Pump Ready Programme – part of the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio – will fund Nusku’s product testing at the University of Salford’s Energy House. It already has an office at the University of the West of England’s innovation centre, Future Space.
“It has been a whirlwind few years,” Murchie said. “It’s testament to the hard work of the team, who have designed a truly innovative heating system which we feel confident will have mass appeal once it’s on the market.
“The fact the government and leading figures from within the industry are backing us is a real vote of confidence.”
UK government backs heat pump technology
In January this year, the UK government announced an £80.6 million funding package to develop greener, low-cost heating systems in four new projects in England. Among the chosen projects are those that focus on installing heat pumps in homes, commercial spaces and businesses in certain regions.
The government also runs the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which, according to DESNZ data, has received a total of 37,879 applications since it began.
Of the total number of voucher applications recorded in England and Wales since May 2022, 96% were for grants towards air source heat pump installations, a trend that has been evident since the beginning of the scheme.
