Heat the Streets, Kensa Utilities’ ambitious ERDF-funded sustainable heating project, has broken ground at two new construction sites in Cornwall.
Work has begun on Heat the Streets low carbon heating installations in Carlyon Bay and Harlyn Bay. Drilling has started for boreholes that will form shared loop ground arrays to be connected to Kensa ground source heat pumps. The heat pumps will supply the homeowners with 100% of their heat and hot water all year round.
Kensa’s Shared Ground Loop Arrays are an ultra-low temperature heat network used with ground source heat pumps. In a similar setup to a traditional gas framework, a series of boreholes are linked to create a shared ground loop array that provides heat to multiple properties. Kensa Utilities will fund, own & maintain the shared ground array infrastructure necessary for large scale ground source systems. This removes the cost and hassle for housebuilders who are only responsible for providing the heat pump & internal heating distribution system.
Funded arrays enable house builders and developers to install ground source heat pumps for the price of air source heat pumps, and are intended to break down the barriers to net zero and make clean, reliable heating affordable for more households.
Due to Kensa Utilities’ ERDF financing model, they have been able to install heat pumps and the associated infrastructure for less than the cost of an air source heat pump. Consequently, forward-thinking developers can offer a more attractive sustainable heating system while reducing construction costs and reducing carbon emissions.
The drilling of these boreholes marks a significant step forward in the Heat the Streets project which will also see installation of split-ownership, ground source heat pumps retrofitted into private properties in the off-gas village of Stithians, Cornwall, and social housing estates around the county.
Lisa Treseder, Kensa Utilities Senior Project Manager, commented:
To achieve net zero by 2050, we need to transform the way people heat their homes. This Project demonstrates how we can decarbonise home heating in a way that creates great value for money while minimising capital investments. We also need to lower the barrier of upfront costs to encourage the adoption of ground source heat pumps.
