Kensa Contracting, ENGIE & Enfield Council win at the H&V News Awards 2019
A low-carbon renewable energy scheme involving the retrofit of ground source heat pumps into 400 flats in eight tower blocks in the London Borough of Enfield has been named District Heating Project Of The Year at the 25th annual H&V News Awards in London, Park Lane (25th April 2019).
The award-winning district heating scheme saw Kensa Contracting and ENGIE deliver England’s largest shared ground loop array heat pump programme replacing electric heating for Enfield Council, all in under one year and whilst the flats remained inhabited.
The H&V News Awards, commonly referred to as the ‘industry oscars’, are the longest running and largest ceremony for the UK’s building services. Competing against projects from GEM Environmental, Vaillant, Vital Energi, and Woodford Heating & Energy, the H&V News Awards judging panel described the Enfield tower block retrofit as, “a clear winner with demonstrable innovation, excellence in installation plus wide benefits to the client and residents.”
The Enfield project’s remarkability comes from its scale of ambition. Due to space limitations Kensa removed the need for an energy centre, a tradition feature in district heating systems. This was achieved by installing a small ‘Shoebox’ ground source heat pump in each of the 400 flats, rather than a few large heat pumps centrally. The Shoebox heat pumps were connected to ambient temperature shared ground loop arrays totalling 100 boreholes drilled to depths over 200m.
One of the big advantages of a shared ground loop system is that, unlike central plant systems, it is relatively simple to sub-divide district schemes into smaller units. In Enfield’s case, Kensa split the system into 16 “micro-districts” each supplying half a tower block, simplifying project logistics and allowing for parallel work flows, reduced timescales and disruption to tenants.
With each flat having its own heat pump, each property is responsible for its own energy bill, and able to switch supplier; again a common issue with more traditional district heating systems. Tenants have saved £450 – £700 per year in heating and hot water costs, giving nearly £9 million in collective lifetime bill savings over the nominal 40 year system lifetime. For many this means no longer having to live in fuel poverty, allowing them to heat their flats properly, thus improving their health and wellbeing.
The EPC ratings on the properties have improved by an average of 8 points, and the project will save 773tCO₂ per year – a figure which will increase as the electrical grid decarbonises. As ground source heat pumps are non-combustion devices, there are zero point of use NOx, SOx or particulate emissions; a critical advantage in light of London’s air quality improvement campaign.
The project was eligible for upfront investment from the Energy Company Obligations grant and funding from the Non Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive, allowing Enfield Council to recoup capital costs to sustainably re-invest into further energy saving projects through their ‘Sustainable Enfield’ initiative, ensuring the borough is a great place to live and work for future generations.
Dr Matthew Trewhella, Managing Director of Kensa Contracting, says:
The H&V News Award affirms this project’s place as one of the most significant and ground-breaking milestones for district heating, ground source technology and the renewable energy industry as a whole. Kensa’s district heating system architecture produces the multiple benefits of reduced fuel bills, energy security, electrification of heat, decarbonisation and reduction of particulate emissions. The Enfield project demonstrates that the system can be deployed rapidly and at large scale and represents a blueprint for the future of heating in tower blocks across London and the rest of the country.
Simon Lacey, Regional Managing Director for ENGIE’s Places & Communities division, comments:
One of the key reasons this project has been a resounding success is that all parties have a shared vision which centres on improving lives, and we have worked collaboratively to achieve this goal for the residents of Enfield. We’re delighted to have been recognised for taking a proactive approach in tackling fuel poverty and hope to replicate this model across the country, so more people can live in sustainable homes without breaking the bank.
Kensa Contracting has published a timelapse film of the Enfield ground source heat pump project, which captures the groundworks from start to finish, available to view here.
