- An Essex couple were able to cut their monthly energy bills from £375 to as low as £40
- HeatHub uses over 500 Raspberry Pi computers to provide home heating
- The system channels computer-generated heat directly to domestic hot water supplies
A couple in Essex, UK, have taken part in a new trial which replaces their traditional gas boiler with a small data hub installed in their garden shed.
A report by the BBC outlined how the data center contains more than 500 Raspberry Pi computers that generate heat while processing digital workloads.
The heat produced during these tasks is redirected to their two-bedroom home to provide heat and hot water, significantly reducing their monthly energy bill from £375 a month to as low as £40.
Connecting HeatHub to national initiatives
The system, known as a HeatHub, is part of UK Power Networks’ SHIELD project, which is exploring different heating options for cost-sensitive residents.
Project representatives have stated that the plan could reach more households if early results remain consistent.
A housing association involved in the scheme suggested that 50 homes may be targeted for future installations if performance and cost results match expectations.
Interest in this type of heat recovery follows the increasing demand for electricity in large-scale computing facilities.
Some trials in the UK have also explored heated swimming facilities and proposed solar-powered data and heating networks to test similar concepts.
Cooling processes remain a major area of focus because data infrastructure operators have reported that a large portion of energy consumption can be used to maintain safe hardware temperatures.
Some companies have switched to natural or low-energy cooling methods, including places powered by solar panels and those that use bodies of water as heat sinks.
One example involves heat exchangers placed in an artificial pond to draw heat away from server racks, creating a closed-loop system without chemical refrigerants.
Other projects have tested underwater data centers, while researchers are already exploring ocean-based cooling systems to improve efficiency.
The HeatHub sample is built around a distributed computing model where several small modules can be combined to create a wider remote processing network.
Some enthusiasts have linked the HeatHub trial to conversations about green hosting and possible future shifts in how localized computing interacts with household energy systems.
However, the long-term suitability of this approach has not been fully established.
This is because wider use, system durability and seasonal consistency have not been proven beyond the pilot phase.
It remains to be seen how households can compare this method with regular installations or new alternatives, such as portable power plants that reduce reliance on traditional heating.
Final use may depend on cost, maintenance, reliability, and how well the model performs when extended beyond controlled environments.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
