Naked Energy partners with Rinnai to future-proof the heating needs of British buildings

British solar thermal and solar PVT developer Naked Energy has partnered with Japan-based Rinnai to future-proof the heating needs of British buildings.

The partnership will see the two companies collaborate on the decarbonisation of British buildings via Rinnai’s heating and hot water systems and Naked Energy’s solar thermal collectors.

Rinnai’s hydrogen blends ready, BioLPG ready and future low-carbon product portfolio will present a range of products that are able to dramatically reduce the carbon emissions involved with the heating of homes.

“Rinnai is known as one of the world's leading manufacturers of heating appliances and we’re very proud to be partnering with their UK team,” said Jonny Williams, strategy and partnership lead at Naked Energy.

“Our two technologies are perfectly suited, as the combination of Virtu collectors and Rinnai appliances are entirely complementary. Rinnai is making strides to decarbonise heat and we’re looking forward to making future heating systems cleaner and more efficient with our integrated offering.”

Naked Energy’s VirtuPVT collector combines solar PV and solar thermal technology to generate both electricity and heat form a single collector. This provides a means to decarbonise electricity and heat generation.

Additionally, its solar heat generation technology, the VirtuHOT collector, recently received TÜV international certification.

“Naked Energy’s solar thermal technology is the perfect fit for our hybrid solutions offering, as maximum renewable gains can be achieved from the Naked energy range and the smart Rinnai tech will only apply to precise energy required to boost temperatures, which can streamline the decarbonisation of buildings across the UK,” said Chris Goggins, director of operations at Rinnai UK.

“Together, our technology will make heating systems up and down the country more efficient, and aid the UK’s transition to cleaner energy.”

Naked Energy recently announced a Series B funding round targeting £10 million-plus to go towards US and global expansion.

The company will also use the funding to further develop its VirtuPVT collector technology. Several companies have been interested in the energy firm with the latest funding round having followed investment from Barclays, ELM Companies and Big Sky Partners, which enabled the company’s launch in the US.