Partnership with British Gas
Brook Capital backs Heata's sustainable cloud computing innovation in partnership with British Gas
British Gas has partnered with sustainable cloud computing provider, Heata, on an innovative trial to explore how harnessing waste heat generated by computer servers can save households money on their bills. The initiative has also received significant investment from Brook Capital, further strengthening Heata’s ability to scale its groundbreaking technology.
Heata’s innovative model distributes cloud computing workloads to servers in homes. In a data centre, the heat generated during processing is a waste product, and energy-intensive cooling systems are required to stop the servers from overheating.
To overcome this, Heata has created a ‘virtual data centre’—a network of servers distributed in people’s homes. Each server is attached to the home’s hot water cylinder, and as they process data, the heat they generate is transferred into the water. This reduces the energy needed to heat water in the home, and as this is typically provided by gas boilers, it lowers both gas consumption and carbon emissions. Heata pays for the electricity the unit uses, meaning households pay less to heat their hot water.
Brook Capital’s investment underscores the growing interest in sustainable technology solutions that both address climate concerns and offer real-world cost savings. Their backing will enable Heata to expand its network and accelerate the deployment of its pioneering technology.
"Innovative projects like this are another example of how the UK is becoming a leader in cutting carbon emissions. Heata is a true pioneer in the way it has developed a solution that can reuse waste heat and deliver significant cost and carbon savings," said Paul Lodwidge, Head of Energy Product & Propositions from British Gas.
As part of a three-month trial, 10 Heata units will be installed in the homes of British Gas employees, with the energy provider’s computing workloads processed on these units. This means British Gas will be providing free hot water for its employees as a byproduct of their own cloud computing.
The trial will provide insights into performance and customer experience while demonstrating CO2 and energy cost savings. These findings will contribute to developing new customer propositions in 2025.
According to Heata, the devices can provide up to 4kWh of hot water per day, with households expected to save up to £340 per year when offsetting electrically heated water and up to £120 when offsetting gas-heated water.
Chris Jordan, Co-founder of Heata, said: “We’ve created a solution that enables us to reuse the waste heat from cloud computing to provide free hot water for families in our communities. Our reliance on data centres is only going to grow as they are fundamental to training and running artificial intelligence. By thinking differently about how we build and use data processing infrastructure, we can use a byproduct of this boom to help support our communities and reduce the carbon impact of compute at the same time.
“This trial with British Gas is an exciting step, and we hope other businesses will follow suit. With a small change to where they place their data processing, businesses throughout the UK could be supporting their communities as a byproduct of their cloud computing.”
Brook Capital’s support further enables Heata to expand its impact. A spokesperson from Brook Capital commented: “Heata’s approach to cloud computing and energy reuse is exactly the kind of disruptive innovation we seek to support. We’re proud to invest in a company that aligns economic and environmental benefits so effectively. We look forward to seeing Heata grow and play a major role in sustainable computing.”
About Heata
Heata is redefining the benchmark in sustainable cloud computing. By distributing its servers within homes, Heata creates a ‘virtual data centre’ where the waste heat from data processing is re-used to offset domestic hot water heating, providing free hot water for people who need it. Data processing is fundamental to our modern world, and Heata believes it can also help support the need for heat in society. With investment from Brook Capital, Heata is well-positioned to scale its impact and help businesses across the UK support their communities through more sustainable cloud computing. Heat is useful. Why waste it?