Task: Three micro district systems complete
It was another busy week at Ashfield Court in Ipswich as work continues to install new ground source heat pumps into the 22 flats and the one site office. After the successful commissioning of the first heat pump last week, this week saw another five heat pump systems completed. This represents three micro-district networks of two dwellings each.
Progress was a little slower than hoped. One reason for this was that the electricians had to carry out a lot of remedial works to four of the flats. In these flats, the electrical consumer units (or fuse boards) had to be moved to accommodate the new heat pump and hot water cylinder. This turned out to be a larger job than expected as the current wiring from the external meter box was running inside the cavity of the external wall. As this is not allowed under current regulations, the electricians had to mount a new electrical box externally and then run wiring from this to the consumer units inside each dwelling.
It is common for unforeseen tasks like this to arise on retrofit projects in older buildings. However, the important point is that these are dealt with quickly and professionally. The new wiring was installed to meet the current regulations and the electricians have now moved on to the wiring for the heat pumps in the other flats.
The specialist asbestos contractor returned to site to remove the asbestos from the remaining flats. With this work carried out, the plumbers are now able to access all remaining dwellings and start installing the pipework for the radiators.
Work also began on constructing the weatherproof enclosure for the heat pump for the office. This is the only heat pump being mounted externally as there is insufficient space for this to be installed inside. As the office building contains two separate offices for the estate manager and the site technical manager, these spaces will be controlled as two separate zones. This will allow individual control by each occupant to suit their own daily needs.
As the finishing line approaches, some of the plumbers are going to work over the weekends to ensure that the project completes on time. It’s a tight schedule but everyone is still aiming to have the project completed by the end of September. There are two weeks to go so it will continue to be busy. More next week!
Next week’s key project stage: More heat pumps in 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.
