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About Kensa Heat Pumps

From the heart of Cornwall, Kensa Heat Pumps has been manufacturing award-winning, market-leading ground source heat pumps and accessories since 1999.

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What does Kensa do?

Kensa pioneered the adoption of heat pump technology in the UK. Combining quality components, precision engineering, talented production staff and a state-of-the-art test facility, Kensa‘s heat pumps provide market-leading performance. Beyond manufacturing heat pumps, we work with many installers, specifiers and housing providers to deliver exceptionally well-designed systems which out-perform the market.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our installation support. As an MCS-accredited manufacturer and installer, Kensa is intimate with every project, providing a ground array design, guidance on appropriate heat distribution and hot water systems, and complete technical support.

Kensa heat pumps are compact, durable, easy-to-install and supplied with an exceptional warranty and after-sales support. We also supply all of the accessories including manifolds, slinkies, anti-freeze, buffer tanks and cylinder.

What makes Kensa the UK's award-winning market leader?

We achieved our market-leading status by developing innovative products and embracing and supporting existing supply chains. As well as introducing unique delivery models backed by the novel use of renewable energy funding, we focus on making a technically-challenging but environmentally and economically-rewarding technology mainstream.

Our engineers offer industry-leading expertise evidenced by thousands of installations carrying the Kensa hallmark. Our unrivalled experience means every Kensa installation benefits from exceptional expertise and exceeds expectations by delivering substantial carbon emission reductions and running cost savings.

Did you know?

Our heat pump factory and offices in Cornwall are heated using Kensa ground source heat pumps. Being based on a former mine site, our factory utilises water in a disused mine shaft as the heat source for our heat pump!

What does 'Kensa' mean?

The name “Kensa” (KEN-zah) comes from a Cornish word meaning “first”. Kensa has lived up to its name in many ways:

  • The first and only dedicated ground source heat pump manufacturer in the UK, established in 1999.
  • The first to create a ground source heat pump small and quiet enough to be installed inside flats and apartments, the Shoebox range.
  • The first to install shared ground loop array systems with individual heat pumps inside properties, providing ultra-low-cost and low carbon communal heating to communities.
  • The first to develop a dedicated system manager unique to ground source heat pumps, Genesis.

What is Kensa's history?

Kensa was founded in 1999 by two former marine engineers – Richard Freeborn and Guy Cashmore – who, having spent years working on heat pump installations for luxury yachts in the Mediterranean, recognised the opportunity to transfer the technology to applications closer to home. From early on, they also recognised that the key to success was to come up with a simplified and less costly alternative to what they considered to be often over-designed and unnecessarily complicated imported products.

Privately-owned and headquartered in Truro, Cornwall, the Kensa Group is now a fast-growing collection of award-winning businesses involved in the manufacture and installation of ground source heat pumps and the ownership of associated underground infrastructure.

The Kensa Group is well-placed to help to meet the UK’s 2050 net-zero carbon targets.

What is the Kensa Group comprised of?

Established in 1999, privately owned, and headquartered in Truro, Cornwall, the Kensa Group is a fast-growing collection of award-winning British businesses involved in the manufacture and installation of ground source heat pumps and the ownership of associated underground infrastructure.

  • Kensa Heat Pumps remains the UK’s only manufacturer of ground source heat pumps and is an established market leader according to BSRIA annual reports.
  • Kensa Contracting is a ground source heat pump delivery partner and contractor that focuses on larger-scale new build, and social housing retrofit and non-domestic programmes. It has pioneered Networked Heat Pump infrastructure that allows ground source heat pumps to be installed at scale and in multiple occupancy dwellings, including heating tower blocks with their ‘shoebox heat pump’ small enough to fit under a kitchen sink – connected to ‘shared ground arrays’.
  • Kensa Utilities is an infrastructure asset company that funds owns and maintains shared ground loop arrays that serve heat pump installations. Through its funded offer Kensa Utilities provides these assets at zero upfront cost to the housebuilder or social landlord.

In over two decades, Kensa has saved over 1 million tonnes of carbon through ground source heat pump installations. The Kensa Group is partly owned by Legal & General Capital, part of Legal & General PLC, and Octopus Energy.


Registered Office: Mount Wellington, Chacewater, Truro, Cornwall TR4 8RJ.
Registered in England: Kensa Heat Pumps 03739805 | Kensa Contracting 08166502 | Kensa Utilities 10044238 | The Kensa Group Limited 05367753
VAT Group No. 945676771
The service provider is Napit and we are trustmarked for ‘Ground Source Heat Pump installations.
The Kensa Group is partly owned by Legal & General Capital, part of Legal & General PLC, and Octopus Energy.



Kensa were realistic and honest in their sales pitch. Numerous sales persons I met from other companies were clearly not as well informed!"

Stephen Chidgey, Selfbuilder

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