Task: Out with the old – removal of NSH
This week saw the removal of the old and inefficient night storage heaters and electric panels, and the installation of the first heat pumps.
This was a shorter working week due to the bank holiday weekend but there was still much to do.
The specialist asbestos contractor was on site this week. He safely removed the chrysotile (white asbestos) from half of the flats. This had to be removed from the ceiling tiles and the floor tiles in the areas where new pipework will be installed. With this removed, it was now safe for the installation teams to start drilling holes through the fabric.
The installation teams removed the electric night storage heaters and electric panel heaters from five of the flats. This allowed them to start installing the new radiators. These have been designed to operate at a maximum flow temperature of 50°C to ensure the heat pumps will operate at a high seasonal efficiency. All radiators are of the double panel, double convector type and are typically installed in the space vacated by the old electric heaters. This means that tenants do not need to adjust the layout of furniture in their room and it also means that re-decoration is not required.
Work also started in two properties to install the heat pumps and the hot water cylinders. These are being installed in cupboards within the flats. A bespoke stand is built on site for each flat to allow the cylinder to be installed above the heat pump. This reduces the installation space required.
Each micro-district heat network at Ashfield Court will consist of two flats sharing one borehole. One flat is on the ground floor and the other is directly above it on the first floor. The plumbing team need to install pipework from the manifold left by the trenching team at the boundary of the flats to each heat pump. For most pairs of flats, this ground side pipework will run up the rear of the building into the loft. This pipework will be covered with white UPVC trunking to match the windows. Once in the loft, the pipework will run down to the first floor flat and then continue down to the ground floor flat.
One of the final groundworks stages to take place on this scheme was the laying of a slab for the heat pump for the office. The office is a very small unit and so will have its ground source heat pump installed externally, inside a weather proof enclosure on the plinth.
The shed which was moved to allow the drill rig access to the rear of the flats was also returned to its original position this week.
Finally, outside of the scope of works the groundworkers dug a small trench for a pathway that will eventually lead to a new summer house in one of the gardens, demonstrating the team’s considerate and thorough approach to this job, above and beyond the call of duty!
Next week’s key project stage: Ground source heat pumps installed and commissioned
Keep following our blog to stay up to date with this brilliant first project between Kensa Heat Pumps and Hanover Housing Association.
Project in brief:
- 22 flats – 21 are 1 bedroom and 1 is a 2 bedroom flat;
- Built in 1977;
- Heated by electric night storage heaters which have reached the end of their useful life and need replacing;
- Residents aged 55 +;
- A Kensa Shoebox ground source heat pump (6kW) to be installed inside each flat;
- New 150 litre unvented hot water cylinders in each flat;
- New radiators in each flat;
- New heating controls in each flat, which will be much easier for the residents to use;
- A ground source heat pump for the site office;
- 12 boreholes will be drilled with depths up to 154 metres to form a communal ‘micro district ground source heat pump system’.
Read more about the background to this first project between Hanover Housing Association and Kensa Heat Pumps here.
