Ex-Dyson engineers unveil battery-powered boiler designed to outperform heat pumps

Two former Dyson engineers have secured £6.9 million in funding to develop a battery-powered electric boiler they believe can finally rival the performance of gas systems and offer households a practical low-carbon alternative to heat pumps.

The founders of Luthmore, Craig Wilkinson and Martin Gutkowski, say their breakthrough technology could solve the biggest barrier facing the UK’s transition away from gas heating: the fact that heat pumps and existing electric boilers still struggle to match the power and responsiveness of traditional gas combi boilers.

Their innovation comes as the Government attempts to navigate a politically and technically fraught heating transition. Last month, energy secretary Ed Miliband scrapped plans to ban new gas boilers from 2035 and instead expanded heat pump grants to up to £7,500 — alongside a new £2,500 grant for smaller units that can also cool homes. But with gas still cheaper and quicker for most households, uptake of green alternatives remains sluggish.

Wilkinson and Gutkowski believe their product can change that calculus. Inspired, quite literally, in the shower, Gutkowski began sketching out whether a compact electric boiler could supply the same 30kW-equivalent bursts demanded by British households at peak times — typically when multiple showers or taps run at once — by drawing power from an integrated battery instead of the grid.

“He did the maths on how big the battery needed to be and whether it could fit in the same space as a combi boiler,” said Wilkinson. “Once we realised it was possible, we knew we had to build it.”

Traditional electric boilers max out at around 10kW, leaving them unable to cope with high hot-water demand unless combined with large hot water tanks. Heat pumps also require tanks and outdoor units, making them impractical or space-intensive in many homes.

Luthmore’s all-electric boiler, however, uses battery energy storage to deliver short bursts of high power, mimicking the output of a gas boiler and eliminating the need for hot water tanks. Crucially, it occupies the same cupboard-sized footprint as a combi boiler and uses the same pipework, with only a dedicated electrical connection required.

The system can charge overnight when electricity is cheaper and pair with rooftop solar panels. A patented feature even stores waste heat produced by the boiler itself — contributing around 15% of the energy stored in the battery during a full charge. “Our Dyson experience taught us how important patents are if you want investment and a competitive edge,” Wilkinson said.

At £4,500 excluding VAT, the unit is more expensive than a standard gas boiler but cheaper than most heat pumps, which typically cost between £7,000 and £13,500. Luthmore’s investors include major housebuilders and property-management firms preparing for the Future Homes Standard, which will require new-build properties to use low-carbon heating and generate electricity on-site.

Trials are under way with landlords including Estates Services at the University of Oxford, and Luthmore is training installers nationwide.

Around three-quarters of Luthmore’s team are former Dyson engineers, reflecting what Wilkinson calls a “university of Dyson” effect across Wiltshire and the South West. The company builds boilers at its Chippenham factory but plans to shift to contract manufacturing in Singapore and Malaysia from 2026 to scale production into the thousands.

Wilkinson also urged policymakers to extend support beyond heat pumps, saying grants should be “technology agnostic”.
“Naysayers across the industry and within government need to pay proper attention to the full spectrum of the clean heat market,” he said. “The right policy landscape could save households money and cut carbon faster.”

With larger trials now under way, Luthmore expects to ramp production next year as developers identify which property types are best suited to the system. “We’re at the point where we’re working with developers who have the trial units and are planning bigger pilots,” Wilkinson said. “From there, we’ll scale.”