Former Dyson engineer secures £1M for heat pump technology

Bristol-based climate tech Nusku has raised £1M, including £700,000 from the UK government.

Founded in 2022, the heat pump producer has topped up its £245,000 in Seed funding with a £727,000 grant from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero.

Nusk’s technology has not yet been patented and is based on air source heat pump technology that is cheaper and quicker to install, taking a few days rather than a week. Heat pumps are the same technology as fridges and work by moving heat from outside air to indoor radiators. As they are powered by electricity, they are considered the most efficient way for the UK to shift to low-carbon heating and away from the gas-fired boilers that heat the majority of the UK’s 28 million homes.

The Government grant, awarded via their Heat Pump Ready Programme and part of the £1B Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, will enable the product to be tested at the University of Salford’s Energy House – a unique research and testing laboratory which comprises an early 20th century two-bedroom terraced house within an environmental chamber allowing an accurate and rapid assessment of energy efficient retro fit technologies. 

Nusku is based in the former European Green Capital of Bristol  and is supported by the University of the West of England - both of which, says founder Russell Murchie, have been instrumental. Murchie formerly worked as a fluid dynamics engineer at for 17 years.

He said: ““The idea for Nusku stemmed from a chat about why heat pumps are so popular in other countries, but not in the UK. 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?  

“We got talking about what needs to happen to change this, to give a better offering to UK homes and the idea for reinventing them began to form.” 

“It’s been a whirlwind few years building a company from scratch and I’m still pinching myself at what’s been achieved. While we had confidence in our idea, if you’d told me two years ago that we’d raise almost £1 million to develop it, I’d have struggled to believe you! 

“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.”