Delivering efficient carbon compliant homes and meeting building regulations requires increasingly significant levels of investment; thankfully Kensa’s use of Shared Ground Loop Arrays and split ownership funding mechanisms offer social housing providers low-cost future-proofed solutions with the lowest running costs for residents, too.
Approach
By pairing Kensa’s Shoebox heat pumps with Shared Ground Loop Arrays, developments featuring multiple dwellings, including flats, can attract external funders to own and operate the ground source heat pump infrastructure, removing the cost of the shared ground loop array from the housing association. In return, the external funder can charge connection fees if they wish. This is known as Split Ownership.
Kensa’s innovative Shared Ground Loop Arrays link a series of boreholes to multiple properties, including flats, via an ambient temperature distribution system.
Each property then has an individual Kensa heat pump wired to their own electricity supply, which upgrades the low temperature ground heat for heating and hot water within their dwelling.

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The advantages of Shared Ground Loop Arrays in new builds:
- Split-ownership of ground arrays provides a funded option.
- Exempt from Heat Network Metering & Billing Regulations.
- Extremely low CO2 emissions;
- Easy carbon & building regulations compliance.
- No NOx, SOx or particulates emissions.
- Lowest energy bills – slightly lower than mains gas, significantly lower than air source heat pumps, LPG & oil.
- Householders able to switch energy suppliers.
- No district heat losses.
- Potential for free summer cooling.
- Scalable and flexible district size can be deployed in sections as the development progresses.
- Ultra-efficient and reliable.
Compared to various air source, direct electric, gas and CHP configurations in new build houses, shared ground loop arrays are the most efficient, lowest carbon, and lowest cost solution. Greater London Authority (GLA), ‘Low Carbon Heat: Heat Pumps in London’ (September 2018)
Products
The Kensa Shoebox Series
- Suited to flats and apartments and smaller houses
- Available in 3 – 6kW
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The Kensa Evo Series
- Ideal for medium to large homes
- Available in 7, 9, 13, 15 & 17kW
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The Kensa Q Series
- Ideal for large or commercial buildings
- 3 phase modular units to match high heat demands
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Subsidies
Split Ownership model
By allowing ‘split ownership’, Government has created a significant catalyst for energy-efficient new build developments featuring Shared Ground Loop Arrays, with costs no longer borne by the housing provider.
This eliminates the key barrier to deployment – the expense of the ground array – and allows Kensa to mimic long-standing ‘split ownership’ arrangements in the gas sector with the underground infrastructure owned and maintained separately from the heat pump installed inside the properties. Kensa’s model sees the housing provider fund the heat pump (which is sold with the property and maintained by the purchaser) whilst the ground array is fully funded.
User Engagement
Kensa Contracting offers a comprehensive information and training programme to support residents, Housing Association staff, project and scheme managers, ensuring all stakeholders are engaged and well-prepared and understand the stages of work involved.
Social housing property’s featuring Kensa’s Shared Ground Loop Arrays will provide end users with numerous unique benefits over traditional Heat Networks:
Lower fuel bills
GSHP’s produce 3-4kWh of heat energy for every 1kWh of electrical energy used, making them 300-400% efficient. Compare this to a typical boiler, which is just 90% efficient. Kensa’s ground source heat pump systems offer the lowest fuel costs.
Lower emissions
Because a GSHP extracts so much “free” energy from the environment, this enables CO2 emissions to be lower than any other type of heating system.
Minimal maintenance
GSHP’s don’t require annual servicing or maintenance, and have an expected lifetime of 20 years.
Energy independence
With an individual ground source heat pump in each property, homeowners are in complete control of their own heating and energy bills, enabling easy energy tariff switching and payment only for their own heat consumption.
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Free cooling & no overheating
With heat being generated at the point of use (inside each dwelling) the ‘heat’ circulating the property is low temperature, therefore there are no heat losses from the system to contribute to overheating in risers and corridors. The low temperature system also allows for free passive cooling to be introduced, creating a comfortable living environment all year round.
Year round supply
1m below the surface the ground temperature remains a fairly constant 8-10°C all year round, ensuring your heat supply is constant and reliable; unlike air source heat pumps, which are impacted by external fluctuating air temperatures causing higher bills when heat is most needed.
Find out more about Kensa’s ground source heat pump solutions for social housing by clicking the links below:
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