Kensa Heat Pumps
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Author: Dave Brown

Making Headlines

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Heat the Streets has been featured by The Guardian, this is great coverage for the project and an opportunity to share the Kensa vision for street by street heat pump deployment and split ownership.

You can read the full article here.

The level of interest in this work is starting to put Stithians on the map with interest from politicians as well as coverage in publications such as The Guardian , BBC Spotlight , Pirate FM and Homebuilding & Renovating

Interest will continue to grow as the project progresses.

If you missed any of the articles please see links below:

BBC Spotlight: http://bit.ly/3X2Nf9C

Pirate FM: http://bit.ly/3hL4BHO

Homebuilding & Renovating: https://bit.ly/3O5MiJD

Heat pump project breaks ground in Cornwall.

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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 retain ownership of the ground array, charging a fixed annual fee to households for its use.

This split-ownership funding of low carbon heating is 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.”

Designing our heat network.

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The community of Stithians has shown incredible enthusiasm for the Heat the Streets project. Since the project’s launch in June, over 250 households have registered. Kensa Utilities appreciates the support both from the Stithians Energy Group and the Parish Council.

Data collected from registrations and home visits has been combined in a mapping tool which is now being assessed by our design colleagues in Kensa Contracting to produce a prioritised list of areas that will provide us with the best project outcomes. The design team will be looking to deliver best value for money and an evidence pack that will allow us to demonstrate to government and potential investors that Heat the Streets is a flexible model that is suitable for all UK housing stock.

We know that many of you are waiting to hear whether you will be a project beneficiary before you order more oil or replace worn heating systems so we will share progress as soon as possible. Installations are all subject to survey and contracts so there is no guarantee that you will receive a heat pump even if you are in one of our chosen areas.

Private Housing retrofit installations in Stithians are heavily subsidised by ERDF and the Kensa Group. We are reliant on income from new build developments included in Heat the Streets to deliver heating systems in your homes. Our programme has had to shift a little to accommodate new build developments due to planning delays in Cornwall. We are expecting to begin works on private homes in Stithians in autumn.

If you have any questions please drop us an email at: [email protected] Heat the Streets is managed by a very small team, please be patient if it takes us a little while to respond.

Cornwall’s first heat pump village one step closer.

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The residents of the Cornish village of Stithians were recently given the opportunity to learn more about Kensa Utilities’ ambitious vision for their community. The Cornish company hosted a series of community events to discus how Heat the Streets will transform heat supply in the village and the technology behind the project.

The attendees were given the chance to meet members of the Kensa Utilities team and discover how ground source heat pumps work. It was the first chance for many of those that have already registered to participate in the project to ask and questions and to clarify how the project will affect them and their property.

Joining the Kensa Team were representatives of both Stithians Parish Council and the Stithians Energy Group, the latter was formed with the objective to encourage and help individuals, families, and the community to reduce their carbon footprint.

Heat the Streets will show how and why street-by-street installations are the most efficient and effective way to install ground source heat pump technology at the community level needed to fight climate change and achieve the UK’s net-zero target by 2050.

Kensa’s heat network will consist of ground source heat pumps connected to shared ground loop arrays, a communal pipework system that extracts renewable heat from boreholes. The boreholes will remain virtually undetectable once installed, providing a reliable heating source all year round.

Shared ground loop arrays provide a viable renewable alternative to mains gas networks that are safe and require only minimal maintenance. Each home will receive its own ground source heat pump, giving residents complete control over their heating, independent billing, and the flexibility to switch energy suppliers.

Residents will no longer rely on carbon intensive oil or LPG fossil fuels since the ground source heat pumps will be providing 100% of their heating and hot water. By utilizing naturally replenished and freely available heat energy stored just beneath the surface of the ground, heat pumps can achieve higher heating efficiencies than every other heating system.

Using ground source heat pumps reduces each home’s carbon footprint by around 70% as they are electrically powered, non-combustion devices that produce no local emissions.

For Stithians residents that have not registered with the project they can do so here , it is also possible to book an appointment with our resident liaison officer if you wish to discuss the project further.

Community Event, Postponed.

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A Message from Kensa Utilities – Heat the Streets:

Throughout the pandemic the Kensa Group has taken a cautious approach to risk to both employees and the general public.

Following discussions amongst the group we have taken the difficult decision to postpone this weekend’s planned event.

The main concerns amongst the team were:

  • The inability to allow for social distancing in the community centre given the numbers signed up to the event
  • Unknown consequences/severity of the new Omicron variant

We want to stress that the postponing this event does not affect delivery of the project in any way and we will begin works in spring 2022.

The event will now be held in the new year when we hope there will be a greater understanding of this new variant and clearer government guidance.

We have booked in three sessions with reduced capacity to allow for social distancing.

If you wish to book on to this event you can do so via the following links:

  • 25 Jan 1000 – 1200 Bookings closed
  • 25 Jan 1300 – 1500 Bookings closed
  • 29 Jan 1000 – 1200 Bookings closed


We are also exploring the feasibility of an online event hosted through Zoom and will update you if we proceed with this.

In the meantime, if you would like to ask any questions, you can get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected]

We apologise for any disappointment this decision causes but hope that you will be understanding of our reluctance to put the health of the community at risk especially with Christmas fast approaching.

Project Update September 2021.

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We are delighted that 183 Stithians residents have now registered their interest in taking part in the project. We have concluded an initial geological study which shows that the ground beneath Stithians has high thermal conductivity making it ideal for a ground source heat network.

The study provides information about the best routes through the village that would allow us to heat every house. We are now working on narrowing this down to the most economical route to heat homes in the village.

Heat Network Connection

Mimicking a traditional gas framework, our innovative Shared Ground Loop Arrays (SGLA) link a series of boreholes to multiple properties via an ambient temperature distribution system.

Properties included in this project are subject to an annual connection fee for use of the SGLA. You can learn more about the costs related to the connection charge and view the terms of the agreement on our website.

Heat the Streets connection charge is like long-standing “split ownership” arrangements within the gas sector, with the underground infrastructure owned and maintained separately from the Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) installed inside the properties.

On the Road

The Heat the Streets team will be attending the Planet A Decarbonisation Roadshow on 12 October and the Chacewater Energy Day 20 Nov.

Once we’ve mapped out our Heat Network, we will be inviting those whose properties are along the route to information events, where we will be able to discuss the next stages of the project with them and answer any questions that they have.

Project Update – July 2021

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We currently have 165 Stithians residents who have registered interest in taking part. We are very pleased with this positive response. We would like to thank the Stithians Energy Group and the Stithians Parish Council for their help in getting this far.

What happens next?
We are currently working on a feasibility study for the heat network route. All the properties that have registered as being interested in connecting have been included in our data mapping which will feed into the feasibility study. Information provided about the type of property applicants live in, as well as the type of heating the property currently has is helping us to plan the best way to deliver Heat the Streets.

One of the major considerations in our feasibility study is minimising disruption during delivery. This will be of particular concern to households that can’t, or don’t want to receive ground source heating, as well as local businesses that could be affected. Rest assured that we will do our best to avoid disrupting traffic through the village and any vital work will be carried out considerately and with plenty of notice to anyone that could be affected.

Keep updated on our progress