Delivering efficient, carbon-compliant homes and meeting building regulations requires increasingly significant investment; thankfully, Kensa’s use of Networked Heat Pumps and split ownership funding mechanisms offer social housing providers low-cost, future-proofed solutions with the lowest running costs for residents, too.
Kensa’s products are perfectly compatible with Networked Heat Pumps, the 21st-century gas grid alternative that could reduce the UK’s gas usage by 70% (£25bn per year).
A flexible and scalable ground source system architecture, Networked Heat Pumps link a series of boreholes, known as Shared Ground Loop Arrays, to 2 or more properties, via an ambient temperature distribution system.
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)
By pairing Kensa’s 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. This removes 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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
GSHP’s don’t require annual servicing or maintenance, and have an expected lifetime of 20 years.
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 overheatingWith 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.
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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Download Kensa Contracting’s brief guide to Private Housing Ground Source Heating Solutions for New Build Developments with Kensa Contracting.
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