Kensa Contracting’s retrofit project for Thurrock Council was named Renewable Energy Project of the Year at the Business Green awards, which took place in London on 12 June 2024.
The project was part-funded by Wave 1 of the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and saw Networked Heat Pumps installed in 273 high-rise social housing flats, according to a company statement.
The flagship project saw ageing electric storage heaters across three tower blocks in Thurrock, Essex, replaced with highly efficient, low-carbon networked ground source heat pumps, it noted.
Since completion the project has cut residents’ energy bills by as much as 66%, it reflected, lifting many out of fuel poverty and enabling them to heat their homes properly.
Diane Barr, Thurrock resident, said: “The heat pump is much warmer, and the hot water is so fast compared to the old system. Plus it’s so cheap – I pay around £21 a week, and that’s with doing the washing, using the tumble-drier and dehumidifier. With the storage heaters, it cost around £70 a week, and I only used to have the heating on in three rooms, and the hot water ran out pretty quickly, so we couldn’t have a shower.”
Ieman Barmaki, sustainability director at Kensa Contracting, added: “It’s brilliant for this project to receive the Business Green Renewable Energy Project of the Year award. We’re incredibly proud of this installation; it’s made a huge improvement to people’s lives, it’s lowered energy bills and given residents a heating system they can afford to use.
“Networked heat pumps present an ideal solution to decarbonise complex properties like high-rise tower blocks. We’ve delivered this renewable heating system to over 1,700 high-rise social housing flats, giving long-lasting benefits for the housing providers, the residents, the community and the environment.”