Mixergy announced on 6 July 2023 that it is collaborating with Kingspan Water & Energy to expand its "heat what you need" technology into Kingspan's Range Tribune Family, through a new cylinder called the Range Tribune MXi1.
"We are proud to announce our new collaboration with Kingspan Water & Energy, expanding our 'heat what you need' technology into their Range Tribune Family."
The MXi will include Mixergy's PV diverter, which the company says allows homeowners to use excess electricity generated by solar PV panels to heat their water, and will integrate with the Mixergy app for smart tariff integration and smart scheduling1. Mixergy states the cylinder will be recognised in SAP and listed in Appendix Q, which it says will allow developers to improve a build's SAP rating1.
For installation, Mixergy says the MXi uses the same form factor as the existing Range Tribune Xe, with side-mounted hot water draw-off and external thermal expansion1. The cylinders have two auxiliary bosses at the bottom, which Mixergy says allow an external heat exchanger plate to be added later to integrate a heat pump1. The company describes the cylinder as using a patented top-down heating method and as compatible with heat pumps1.
| Feature | Detail as stated by Mixergy1 |
|---|---|
| PV diverter | Uses excess solar PV electricity to heat water |
| App control | Smart tariff integration and smart scheduling |
| SAP | Recognised in SAP, listed in Appendix Q |
| Form factor | Same as Range Tribune Xe |
| Heat pump | Two auxiliary bosses for an external heat exchanger plate |
| Heating method | Patented top-down heating |
Mixergy has not reported a price, a launch date, cylinder sizes or a warranty period for the Range Tribune MXi, and Kingspan Water & Energy has not issued a statement in the material available. Whether the MXi will be sold through the same channels as the existing Range Tribune range has also not been reported.
Why it matters for households
A hot water cylinder is where a home stores energy it has already paid for, so how it heats and when it heats shape both bills and how much of a household's hot water can come from its own generation. A cylinder that can take surplus solar electricity, and that can be scheduled around a time-of-use tariff, lets a home use power it has generated or bought cheaply rather than exporting it or buying at peak rates. The two auxiliary bosses matter for a different reason: they leave the door open to adding a heat pump later without replacing the cylinder, which affects how easily a home can move away from a gas boiler. The SAP listing is aimed at housebuilders rather than at individual households, but it means the cylinder may arrive fitted in new homes rather than only being bought as a retrofit. Mixergy's smart hot water cylinders sit in the wider emerging technology market, where the practical question for a household is whether a cylinder can work with a heat pump and with on-site generation over its lifetime.
What happens next
Mixergy has not set out a date for the Range Tribune MXi going on sale, and no pricing or availability details have been reported1.