Designing our heat network.

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: info@kensautilities.com Heat the Streets is managed by a very small team, please be patient if it takes us a little while to respond.

Project Update September 2021.

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

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.