The British Army is trying something new to keep its soldiers warm. Instead of installing heat pumps in barracks like previously planned, it’s decided to test out a “cutting edge” electric heating system called Cylo.
These funky looking fridge-sized Cylo heaters cost a hefty £5,000 each. But the Army thinks they’ll save money in the long run because they’re way more energy efficient than conventional heating systems.
The Ministry of Defence launched “Project Nixie” three years ago to find alternatives to heat pumps for its aging barracks. Turns out most of the old buildings needed major upgrades before heat pumps would work well. Whoops! Guess the Government got a bit ahead of itself when it touted heat pumps as the cheap, climate-friendly fix.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Project Nixie started swapping out heat pumps for Cylo boilers in 2020. These “emission-free” boilers store energy from cheap off-peak electricity or renewable sources and use it to heat water for radiators and taps. Pretty nifty!
But so far only four homes at the Duke of Gloucester Barracks are rocking the new tech as part of a pilot test. Cylo heaters aren’t commercially available yet – only large landlords like the Government can get their hands on them.
The CEO of Cylo’s maker RemitZero said heat pumps have downsides like being high maintenance and inefficient on cold days. Meanwhile, the Army’s stoked about how its £20,000 Cylo experiment could help cut emissions and soldiers’ energy bills.
A military spokesperson said Cylo boilers have “potential to both reduce carbon emissions across the defense estate and reduce energy bills for service personnel.” Their goal is to provide troops “sustainable, high-quality housing” because they deserve it after selflessly serving the country.
