Kensa Group CEO, Simon Lomax, has welcomed the Government’s long-awaited response to the recent Part L Future Homes Consultationpublished on January 19, which states that from 2025, no new homes will be built with fossil fuel heating such as a natural gas boiler.
Mr Lomax said: “Although we would always ask the Government to be prompter and more ambitious, we generally support the response which makes clear that heat pumps are expected to become the default heating choice at new build dwellings from 2025.
“We also welcome the continued opportunity for local authorities to specify planning conditions which mandate energy efficiency upgrades which are more demanding than mere compliance with the emerging regulations.”
Based in Cornwall, Kensa has developed some unique solutions for the residential new build sector based upon the ultra-small Shoebox ground source heat pump which can be paired with a traditional cylinder or a heat battery. In most cases, the Shoebox is served by a shared ground array, thereby mimicking the system architecture in a traditional gas boiler arrangement.
According to Mr Lomax: ‘A ground source heat pump provides the lowest carbon solution as the technology is far more efficient than an air source heat pump, particularly on the coldest days. The Achilles heel has always been the added cost of the array. Thankfully, we can now remove that cost from the housebuilder as there are many entities who will fund the underground architecture in return for a standing charge paid by the householder. A ground source heat pump now costs no more than an air source heat pump
The technology has been installed at a new build development in Bristol to help the city achieve its carbon-neutral pledge. 133 homes at Ashton Rise are being heated by individual Kensa ground source heat pumps connected to a shared ground loop array of boreholes. The installation will see each home making lifetime carbon savings of 30 tonnes compared to individual gas boilers, whilst also protecting local air quality from the harmful NOx emissions associated with fossil fuel heating systems.
About Kensa:
Established in 1999, privately-owned, and headquartered in Truro, Cornwall, the Kensa Group is 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.
Now employing over 90 people the Kensa Group wholly owns Kensa Heat Pumps Limited and Kensa Contracting Limited.
Kensa Heat Pumps remains the UK’s only manufacturer of ground source heat pumps and is the long-established market leader according to BSRIA annual reports. It provides products and technical support to an extensive network of plumbing contractors.
Kensa Contracting is a specialist installation business which focusses on large-scale new build and social housing retrofit programmes. It benefits from unrivalled experience and expertise and has delivered the UK’s largest installations in the residential sector.
Kensa Utilities is an infrastructure asset company which funds, owns and maintains shared ground loops that serve heat pump installations. It utilises subsidy support to provide these assets at zero cost to the housebuilder or social landlord.
The Kensa Group is partly owned by Legal & General Capital, part of Legal & General PLC.
