• To reach Net Zero by 2050 up to 80% of UK homes could need a heat pump

  • Kensa’s Shoebox NX heat pump unlocks a viable solution to decarbonise heating for 60% of UK homes, from high-rise flats to terrace streets

  • The British-made Ground Source Heat Pump is compact, powerful, can heat and cool properties and is five times more energy efficient than a gas boiler

  • Small enough to fit in a cupboard and designed with Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps in mind, a system that replicates the gas network model

  • Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps are around 20% cheaper to install and operate than Air Source Heat Pumps

Low-carbon heating and cooling for every UK home is one step closer as Kensa breaks ground with the next generation of heating.

By 2050 millions of UK homes will need to decarbonise their heating and, with the launch of its new small and powerful Shoebox NX Ground Source Heat Pump, Kensa is unlocking a proven, Net-Zero-ready solution.

Kensa’s solution – Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps – replicates the familiarity and accessibility of gas networks and enables the mass rollout of heat pumps in the UK, bringing low-cost renewable heating and cooling to almost any type of home, whether that’s a new build, a 19th-century Victorian terrace, a tenement or a high-rise urban flat.

One-third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from heat, and 6.5 million homes are estimated to be in fuel poverty. Kensa’s solution will boost heat pump installations, shielding millions from unpredictable energy costs by replacing imported gas with domestically produced renewable electricity.

Tamsin Lishman, Kensa Heat Pumps CEO, said:

“This is a game-changing heat pump designed for the UK. Until now, achieving mass heat pump rollout has been a complex challenge, but with the launch of our Shoebox NX, we’ve engineered a small, high-performance heat pump that’s ready to replace gas as the main home heating choice.

“When combined with our Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps solution, it unlocks cosy homes in the winter and cooler homes in the summer for almost anyone, and at low costs to the consumer.

“For 25 years Kensa has been pioneering Ground Source Heat Pump technology, and with the Shoebox NX we’re ready to deliver heat pumps for everyone, cut household carbon emissions and make green home heating a reality.”

 

John Bromley, Managing Director – Clean Energy Strategy & Investments at Legal and General Capital, said:

“Housing requires some of the most substantial and immediate overhauls of any industry to improve standards, reduce running costs for consumers, and to reach net zero. The Kensa Group’s highly efficient, networked ground-source heating and cooling will play a key part in this transition.

“As an experienced energy transition investor, we are proud to be supporting Kensa’s growth and we are delighted to see the launch of their latest ground-breaking Shoebox NX heat pump, a culmination of years of expertise and development.

“We share Kensa’s ambition to deliver reliable, efficient heating solutions for consumers, developers, housing providers, and more – taking us a step closer to decarbonising UK properties at scale.”

Shoebox NX heat pump performance facts and figures:
  • Small and compact, but packs the power and efficiency of large heat pumps – making the most efficient and lowest carbon form of heating accessible to properties with limited space.
  • High efficiency, low electricity usage and low maintenance deliver long-term cost savings for consumers compared to air source heat pumps, and even gas boilers.*
  • Is five times more efficient than a gas boiler – Coefficient of Performance of 4.36** (gas boilers typically operate at 0.9).
  • Has an A+++ energy efficiency rating and a 25-year life expectancy.
  • Can heat water to over 60oC without the need for an immersion heater.
  • Can provide passive cooling to cool homes during the summer at a much lower cost than air-conditioning.
  • Designed to work in flats, apartments, terraced houses, tenements and new build properties.
Networked ground source heat pump findings:
  • Mimicking the gas network model, privately funded infrastructure lowers the upfront installation costs, with consumers paying a standing charge as part of their energy bill to connect to a shared ambient heat network, giving them access to low-cost, low-carbon heat.
  • Individual and independently controlled ground source heat pumps fitted inside each property are connected to the shared ambient heat network, a form of fifth-generation district heating.
  • Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps are up to 20% cheaper to run than air-source heat pumps, whilst upfront costs are 8% less when installed at scale as part of a funded heat network:
    • For a typical 3-bed Victorian terraced house, a networked ground source heat pump can cost £900 (8%) less than an air-source heat pump to install due to its smaller size and the lack of external installation work required.
    • Due to their higher efficiency, lower maintenance and longer life expectancy, the annual costs of running a networked ground source heat pump are up to 20% lower than an air-source heat pump.
  • Networked ground source heat pumps consume 40% less electricity to provide the same heat as air source equivalents, reducing peak strain on the grid.
  • Networked ground source heat pumps are the decarbonisation solution for 60% of UK homes.

Kensa’s Shoebox NX is the latest development in ground source heat pump technology and delivers the efficiency of a large heat pump, in one that’s small enough to fit in a cupboard.

Designed with mass heat pump rollout and ease of installation in mind, factory production of the NX can be readily scaled up to deliver 30,000 per year, with further expansion planned, and can be easily fitted by most heating and plumbing engineers without extensive training.

Networked ground source heat pumps are a proven, scalable solution, which have next to no above-ground presence and are already providing clean heating for new build homes and complex-to-decarbonise private and social retrofit properties.

Kensa’s model is designed to be as familiar and as accessible as the gas network and, once the infrastructure is deployed, allows households to connect at a time that suits them.

With the Future Homes Standard, which is set to effectively ban gas boilers in new build homes from 2025, and the Government’s target to deliver 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, UK heat pump installations are set to rapidly increase.

Sources:

  • The Climate Change Committee projects that, to reach net zero, domestic heat pumps will be needed in at least half, but likely closer to 80%, of homes by 2050. (source)
  • In 2021 over ¾ of UK homes used fossil fuel heating. (source)
  • ⅓ of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from heat. (source)
  • 6.5 million UK homes are estimated to be in fuel poverty. (source)
  • 17,000 premature deaths are linked to air pollution annually to which particulates from gas boilers contribute. (source)
  • *Current price of gas is 7.42p/kWh and gas boilers typically have a coefficient of performance of 0.9. The current electricity cap is 28.62p/kWh with the NX coefficient of performance of 4.36. This means the end user is spending 8.24p/kWh to heat their home with gas and could spend 6.56p/kWh to heat their home with a Kensa Shoebox NX, a 20% reduction. (Ofgem price cap)
  • **Shoebox Coefficient of Performance of 4.36 is at operating conditions of B0/W35 tested in accordance with EN14511. In usual conditions, the inlet temperature from the ground is much higher than 0oC, so even higher performance can be expected.
  • Networked ground source heat pump to air source heat pump comparisons. (source)

Cornish MP, Cherilyn Mackrory, was on hand to see how Truro-based Ground Source Heat Pump manufacturer and contractor, The Kensa Group, is deploying Networked Heat Pumps to provide 140 new homes in Quintrell Downs, Newquay, with low-cost, energy-efficient heating.

The Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth joined Kensa CEO, Tamsin Lishman, for a close-up tour and demonstration of the renewable heating system being installed, which will save residents hundreds of pounds in annual heating costs.

Each modern home will have its own Kensa ground source heat pump connected to a Shared Ambient Heat Network, giving residents access to an effective, year-round clean heating system.

This significant project comes as Kensa, Britain’s leader in ground source heat pump technology, plans to deliver 70,000 heat pumps nationwide by 2030, a move that will create over 7,000 green jobs and help bring people out of fuel poverty.

Read the full article at kensacontracting.com

Establishing these standards is essential to fire up the heat pump market and drive investment in the sector

 

The Government has published its long-awaited proposals on the Future Homes Standard, establishing new building regulations to apply from 2025.  Newly built homes from this date will need to be “net zero ready” with an uplift in fabric and energy efficiency standards, requirements for zero-carbon heating,  and requirements to mitigate overheating.

The proposals are of fundamental importance to the expansion of the heat pump market for rapidly developing the skills base and supply chain and for major investment in the sector. Amongst a slew of consultations on buildings and energy efficiency in recent months, these proposals to ban boilers in all new homes in two years’ time are without doubt the most important. Creating a 200,000-home market for heat pumps overnight will be a major catalyst for change across the sector and a major step towards the 600,000 heat pumps a year target in 2028. 

The consultation confirms that heat pumps provide a pathway to building highly efficient homes which are better for the environment and fit for the future.  It states:  “We found no practical way to allow the installation of fossil fuel boilers while also delivering significant carbon savings. As such, we do not expect fossil fuel heating, such as gas, hybrid heat pumps and hydrogen-ready boilers, will meet these standards.” This is a further indication that hydrogen home heating is unviable. 

Opening up the new build market for heat pumps is particularly important for Kensa and other developers of networked heat pumps. Much like centralised heat networks, our technology requires adoption by whole areas and streets to achieve the major economies of scale possible. This is extremely difficult to achieve in the private retrofit market at present for obvious reasons. As such, a combination of the new build market and social housing retrofit will be critical to the mass deployment of networked heat pumps and driving the cost reductions that will allow roll-out in the private retrofit sector towards the end of the decade. 

Tamsin Lishman, CEO of The Kensa Group believes that establishing these standards is essential to fire up the heat pump market and drive investment in the sector. She commented:

The publication of proposals requiring all new homes to be low-cost, low-carbon and energy efficient to run is a major step forward for decarbonising homes. This new standard will boost heat pump installations drastically, expanding the market from 50,000 to over 250,000 rapidly, providing companies like Kensa with the confidence to go ahead and invest heavily in new manufacturing facilities and the continued development of our supply chains.

It is crucial that these proposals intend to make heat pumps and low-carbon heat networks the default options for heat in new homes, effectively banning new gas grid connections and so-called hydrogen-ready boilers from installation. Allowing the continued installation of these technologies in new homes would simply have maintained confusion about the future of home heating and short-changed hundreds of thousands of new buyers who would have inevitably had to replace their fossil fuel heating system in the years to come.

Tamsin continued:

In a busy policy landscape, establishing these standards is the single most important step the government can take to fire up the heat pump market and drive investment in the sector. As a developer of networked heat pumps, a heat pump in each home connected to a shared networked in the street, Kensa is confident the Future Homes Standard will now lead to a major expansion in the deployment of this technology, combining the best of heat networks and individual heat pumps.

The benefits of Networked Heat Pumps

Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) are the most efficient heating technology available, reducing energy consumption and running costs for homes. If deployed at scale, this will also lead to major reductions in peak electricity demand, reducing the need for investment in new power generation and an expanded electricity grid. Element Energy’s low carbon heat study models the impact that deploying different volumes of GSHPs in the UK would have on the electricity system by 2050. It found that if 38% of all heat pumps were GSHPs, compared to the current deployment level of 15%, a massive 4GW could be shaved off-peak demand, and £5 billion/year in electricity system costs could be achieved. 

Kensa believes that networked heat pumps will be the optimal low-carbon heating for up to 60% of UK homes. Our project installations demonstrate that networked GSHPs work in all housing types, including ‘hard to treat’ properties, such as terraced streets, tower blocks and tenements. 

A new report from the US Dept. of Energy mirrors many of the findings from the UK-based Element Energy report on the major benefits of replacing current domestic heating systems with networked GSHPs. This includes a 10-13% reduction in total electricity system costs by 2050, 7.3 billion tonnes of CO2 saved, an 11-13% reduction in electricity generation, and a 33% reduction in grid expansion requirements.

The Future Homes Standard consultation also recognises the benefits of heat networks, stating, “heat networks can be highly efficient ways of delivering heat because the heat pumps on the network can be paired with thermal stores, allowing the heat to be produced at times of low-cost, low-carbon electricity; such function also reduces peak demand on the local electricity grid. The heat pumps in heat networks often have a higher seasonal coefficient of performance and can be run to optimise their coefficient of performance.”

Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps offer an easy consumer transition to decarbonised heat at a scale replicable to the gas grid, practically, sustainably and affordably. In people’s homes, an innovative microwave-sized box (ground source heat pump) in a cupboard provides hot water and heating. In the street, homes connect to pipes that provide heat from the ground, paid for, owned, and maintained by utility companies. Consumers pay a small monthly connection fee, like with gas today. 

Kensa is already demonstrating the benefits of Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps to the new build sector, as seen in the recent California Meadows project, an affordable housing development by The Longhurst Group. The project utilised networked ground source heat pumps with the ground array infrastructure funded by Kensa, allowing them to provide the benefits of highly efficient ground source heat pumps at a price comparable to air source heat pumps. 

 

Low-cost and low-carbon cooling

Networked GSHPs can also provide low-cost, low-carbon cooling and heating without contributing to air pollution or climate change. Warmer summers, improved insulation, and larger windows increase the need for cooling in modern new builds.

The Future Homes Standard consultation acknowledges: “In December 2021, a new legal requirement was introduced in the Building Regulations (Part O) to reduce the risk of overheating in new residential buildings. We expect the majority of housebuilders will now have had experience applying Part O to real projects…As such, we see this as a suitable time to seek views and evidence on Part O.”

If a cooling system expels heat from a building into the surrounding air, this can raise the local air temperature, exacerbating the need for more cooling. Any systems that produce carbon emissions are ultimately unhelpful in the fight against climate change.

The by-product of extracting heat from the ground during the winter months is a large area of pre-chilled ground, which is conveniently piped to the heat pump in each property to provide low-cost passive cooling during the summer.

For properties that need even more cooling, it is simple to reverse the heat pump so that it actively cools the property and sends the waste heat into the ground, effectively re-charging it for more efficient heating the following winter.

Residents in 273 high-rise flats in Thurrock will see significant savings in their heating and hot water bills this winter due to the installation of energy-efficient Kensa ground source heat pumps, helping to remove many residents from fuel poverty.

Kensa has replaced old, inefficient night storage heaters with small, super-efficient Kensa ground source heat pumps and Sunamp heat batteries in three tower blocks in Chadwell St Mary’s owned by Thurrock Council.

Residents in the two-bed flats will be shielded from future price rises this winter and reap additional savings of up to 66% on their heating and hot water bills by replacing the old storage heaters with 300% efficient ground source heat pumps.

Installing Kensa ground source heat pumps will save residents money and provide energy security and resilience against rising fuel prices. It has also brought residents together as a community, improving their physical and mental well-being and protecting them from the threat of fuel poverty.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT KENSACONTRACTING.COM

‘Heat the Streets’ Wins Two Prestigious International Awards in a Week

Kensa Utilities, a Ground Source Heat Pump infrastructure asset company, is delighted to announce that they have achieved a remarkable feat by securing two prominent awards for their groundbreaking Heat the Streets project, which was part-funded by the ERDF, in one week.

At the H&V News Awards, Kensa Utilities proudly accepted the coveted Heat Pump Project of the Year accolade alongside Coastline Housing.

Kensa Utilities then secured the Best Home Energy Project title at the prestigious Fully Charged Awards in Amsterdam in another momentous win.

Securing these accolades highlights the success of implementing a widespread deployment of Ground Source Heat Pumps through the groundbreaking Networked Heat Pump solution.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT KENSACONTRACTING.COM

Ground source review: Ullenwood Court, Churcham Homes

A development of large luxury family homes in the heart of the Cotswold countryside is being built with sustainability in mind by property developer Churcham Homes. Once complete, all 26 contemporary properties, located within 34 acres of stunning countryside, will feature innovative ground source technology that produces zero emissions or air pollution.

Short film about Kensa by RE:TV

Posted by & filed under News, News & Blog, Vision.

The Kensa Group was delighted to have been asked to shoot a short film for RE:TV showcasing our low carbon ground source heat pump products and infrastructure solutions as we work towards net zero.

RE:TV was founded by His Majesty King Charles III alongside the Sustainable Markets Initiative at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January 2020. They create short inspirational films about innovative ideas relating to the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Kensa was honoured to be asked to create a short documentary ‘Kensa: Clean Energy From Beneath our Feet’, alongside RE:TV. The film showcases the part ground source heat pumps can play in tackling the climate crisis and how Kensa is helping to lead the country’s transition to renewable energy.

RE:TV visited Kensa’s Head Office at Mount Wellington Mine in Truro, Cornwall to film the documentary as well as featuring footage from our landmark social housing retrofit project in Thurrock, and our ground-breaking initiative Heat the Streets – the UK’s first in-road installation of ground array infrastructure.

Director of Strategic Development, Dr Matthew Trewhella talks about the underused potential of stored solar energy to replace fossil fuels. He says:

At the moment, more than 80% of our home are heated by burning natural gas, which releases carbon dioxide that is contributing towards climate change. The solution to heating our homes, all this time, has been right here beneath our feet. Kensa is reducing the carbon impact of heating our homes.

Dr Trewhella also talks about how ground source solutions can be applied across all parts of the UK, including terraced homes and highrise buildings in major cities, through Networked Heat Pumps – a 21st century equivalent of the gas grid.

Director of Sustainability, Ieman Barmaki, explains the work he does with local authorities and social landlords on securing feasibility studies and funding opportunities that allow them to invest in ground source. Through this work, Kensa helps protect the more vulnerable people in society who might not have a say in the type of heating system they use in their homes from fuel poverty.

He comments:

I think the key is to tackle the decarbonisation of heat at scale and make heat pumps available option to everyone.Mass adoption of heat pumps would mean lower carbon and better air quality all round.

Head of Research and Development, Adam Brann, chats through how a heat pump works using Kensa’s demo unit. He explains that heat pumps work by extracting energy from the ground that remains at a constant temperature year round, which is then upgraded into usable heat.

In heating mode, we’re moving energy from the ground into the home, and in cooling mode we just reverse that.

Adam says:

I think it’s quite poetic that [Mount Wellington Mine is] a place where we previously took minerals and coal out of the ground and burned it to create heat, and now [Kensa is] moving to a solution where we only take heat out of the ground, leaving everything else untouched, making a positive impact on the environment.

 

Tamsin Lishman, CEO of The Kensa Group:

I’m delighted to join Kensa and be part of such a committed and purposeful team as we lead the way in decarbonising people’s homes, keeping bills down and creating green jobs in the UK.

We face a crucial moment for the UK and the world: meeting net zero targets, delivering jobs and growth and ensuring we have the energy security we need without price shocks like last winter.

The urgency of the climate crisis is clear, with wildfires across the globe, massive increases in sea temperatures and extreme flooding. In the current cost of living crisis, there is a need for heat, light and transport solutions that support jobs and growth and don’t raise bills.

At Kensa, we are passionate about how we can keep people’s homes cosy (or cool) in an affordable way. We’re an award-winning UK-based ground source heat pump company with nearly 25 years of heritage in the industry, pioneering solutions that offer the best value transition to low carbon heating and cooling, from new builds to high-rise flats, terraced streets to listed country manors, schools to businesses – our ground source heat pumps can do it all. Our innovative yet simple and effective solutions have earned much acclaim, from featuring on the front page of the Financial Times to most recently at the UK Green Business Awards where our Heat The Streets scheme was named Green Heat Project of the Year and winning at the prestigious European Heat Pump Awards.

Our award-winning and proven vision is for the UK to deliver affordable and rapid decarbonisation through Networked Heat Pumps: a new utility, the 21st-century equivalent to the gas network. Shared ground arrays are installed in the street, feeding each house or flat heat from the ground to individual heat pumps in each home. UK pension funds and other UK investors fund the ground source infrastructure, like the current gas grid. Customers pay a small standing charge to access the infrastructure as we do today for gas and electricity. Each home will have a small heat pump, a “white box” appliance, like a boiler, under your stairs, in the kitchen or airing cupboard providing heat, hot water and cooling in summer—simple, affordable, flexible, low-maintenance heating, hot water and cooling without any hassle.

Ground source heat pumps are the most efficient way of providing heat and cooling to buildings. They take heat from the ground, which is around 10 degrees all year round and boost it – meaning you only need one unit of electricity to provide over three units of heat, even on the coldest days in winter. So this means cheaper bills for customers.

The reverse happens in summer when our heat pumps take that 10 degrees from the ground to keep houses, flats and buildings cool and comfortable.

Kensa is rapidly growing and creating green jobs across the UK, from manufacturing and R&D to drilling and installing heat pumps.

Networked heat pumps (NHPs) enable net zero for the lowest societal cost, least grid impact and investment*. NHPs have 40% lower annual fuel costs than air source heat pumps and would significantly reduce the need to increase investment in electricity generation and help to achieve energy sovereignty.

We’ve seen the success in the energy transition in solar and wind, with these now the best ways to deliver low-priced, low-carbon electricity and energy security. Decarbonisation of heat is the next challenge to overcome, and at Kensa, we’re proud to offer a solution that delivers net zero, energy security, economic growth and affordable bills.

*Element Energy 2022

Summary:

Kensa Utilities is thrilled to announce that its groundbreaking project, ‘Heat the Streets’, has won this year’s Lighthouse Heat Pump Award at the European Heat Pump Association‘s highly esteemed 2023 Heat Pump Awards.

The Heat Pump Awards recognises the most outstanding heat pump projects and attracts entrants from across Europe. The Lighthouse Heat Pump category highlights unique heat pump projects pioneering problem-solving with high levels of creativity.

 

Read the full story at kensacontracting.com