ACR Journal

The heat pump industry has welcomed the government’s announcement that the UK will become the first major nation to commit to reaching a net zero carbon emissions target by 2050, but warned of significant challenges ahead.

The Heat Pump Association (HPA) says that clear policy and a widespread adoption of ultra low-carbon heating systems are urgently required in order for the target to stand a realistic chance of being met.

NIBE Energy Systems UK managing director Phil Hurley has been appointed as vice-chair of the Heat Pump Association.

He said: “I am very pleased and honoured to have taken on this role, assisting the new chairman, Graham Wright, in achieving the association’s aims and goals.

Kensa Group has announced changes to its senior management team as it celebrates its 20th anniversary and targets further growth.

James Standley has been promoted to managing director of Kensa Heat Pumps, the UK’s only ground source heat pump manufacturer, whilst Dr Matthew Trewhella will step up to the same role for Kensa Contracting, the in-house installation business.

​Manufacturer Kensa will supply ground source heat pumps to replace night storage heaters in more than 700 homes following an order worth £7.5m over the next three years.

Kensa Heat Pumps and its contractual division, Kensa Contracting, will fulfil the order for Together Housing in homes across Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Ground source heat pump manufacturer Kensa has joined the debate about how the UK can tackle the growing problem of fuel poverty. The response comes in light of reports that in 2018 excess winter deaths hit their highest recorded levels since 1976.
 
Kensa Group CEO Simon Lomax said: “It is clear that something has to be done, and urgently. There has been much industry discussion recently about the growing problem of fuel poverty and the heating technologies that could help alleviate this issue. The oil heating body OFTEC has suggested that oil boilers are a more suitable solution than ground source heat pumps for rural householders in fuel poverty, and that they are ‘the cheapest fuel available to off-grid homes’ – a suggestion that Kensa disagrees with. Far from being the cheapest option, heat from an oil boiler costs 21% more.”

Guy Ransom, commercial director of Norfolk-based renewables specialist Finn Geotherm, comments on the report from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), UK Housing – Fit for the Future?

We’ve read with interest the latest report from the CCC. The document questions whether housing stock is adequately prepared for the challenges of climate change, in both reducing emissions from UK homes and also in ensuring homes are adequately prepared for the impacts of climate change.

Heat pump industry figures have welcomed a report by the Committee on Climate Change which recommends a ban on gas boilers in new build properties by 2025.

The report, UK housing: Fit for the future?, warns that the UK’s legally-binding climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings. 

A contemporary self-build house in North Norfolk is enjoying the benefits of renewable heating from Finn Geotherm.
 
The detached property, near Fakenham, is the vision of owners Rod and Pat George. Built entirely using Porotherm blocks within a light steel frame, the house uses some of the most up to date construction techniques and materials from around Europe. Energy efficiency has also remained front of mind, with all of the property’s 100m2 of floor to ceiling windows being triple glazed.

A new communal ground source heat pump system in Suffolk is poised to deliver significant savings on the heating bills of housing association customers. 

The new system being installed at Flagship’s Quayside Court in Lakenheath is designed improve quality of life and affordability for customers, as well as reduce CO2 emissions.

​The district heating system will replace the current individual electric storage heaters and oil boilers, providing a more effective and efficient system for the 21 bungalows. Each home will be individually metered and customers only charged for the energy they use. 

The installation will qualify for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which assists with the project’s capital cost by providing quarterly payments for 20 years, allowing Flagship to roll out the much-improved heating system into other homes in the future. 

​Director for asset management at Flagship, Lorna Blackmore, said: “Ground source heat pumps are a low maintenance, sustainable way of heating our homes. We are committed to continually improving our renewable energy sources to help tackle fuel poverty and reduce our carbon footprint, and this system does that.