Task: Internal works commence
This week saw the project move on to the next phase as the plumbers and electricians from SSE Contracting arrived on site to start work inside each flat.
Monday morning was busy for Kensa’s project manager Mike Pogson as he had to deliver health and safety site inductions to all the new sub-contractors. Each site is slightly different and so this process is important to keep everyone safe whilst they are working.
There was also a lot of mobilising and de-mobilising of equipment this week. All the drilling machinery and associated equipment has now left site. A new site container was delivered and everyone was impressed with the skill of the driver as he manoeuvred this into a very tight spot. There is now only the site container, a skip and the welfare unit in the site compound. This has freed up a few of the car parking spaces on site which is welcome for all the residents.
As soon as the container arrived, it was filled with separate deliveries of heat pumps, hot water cylinders and radiators for the first few dwellings. As systems are installed, further deliveries will take place to ensure there is always equipment on site.
This week also saw the completion of all the asbestos refurbishment surveys that Hanover HA commissioned prior to the internal works starting. As expected in properties of this age, chrysotile (white asbestos) was found in the textured ceilings of all the rooms and also in the floor tiles. As pipework will be penetrating these surfaces, a specialist contractor is employed to ensure this work is carried out safely and meets all relevant regulations.
We have now started to remove the electric night storage heaters from some of the dwellings. Even although we have had some of the hottest weather of the year, we always leave electric room heaters with the residents just in case they require some temporary heating until the heat pumps are up and running. We also ensure that no resident is without domestic hot water overnight.
In amongst all the internal works, the completion of the trenching and headering was completed this week almost unnoticed. In addition, a concrete slab was created for the ground source heat pump for the office which is being installed externally in a weatherproof shelter due to lack of internal space. All ground workers have now left site.
All being well, we should be able to get the first heat pump up and running next week which is always a milestone point in any project.
Next week’s key project stage: Ground source heat pumps installed
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.
