Following a pilot scheme in Elland, Halifax, Together Housing and Kensa Contracting commenced a three year programme where electric night storage heaters would be replaced with 770 heat pumps in social housing properties across Lancashire and South & West Yorkshire. By the end of 2019, 444 ground source heat pumps were installed, with a further 326 units to be installed in 2020.
The project is benefitting from significant Non Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) income to recover total capital cost of installation. The lifetime carbon savings have been calculated as 44,858 tCO2. As the grid further decarbonises with the increased levels of renewable capacity, the carbon impact of heating will be reduced still further. As well as this, the ground source heat pumps in the properties will allow tenants to benefit from up to 45% savings on running costs when compared to the night storage heaters which they replaced, contributing to a significant potential reduction in fuel poverty. The system also provides much more consistent heating throughout the properties.
Each site features an installation of ‘shared ground loop’ borehole arrays which collect the energy from the underlying bedrock, and distribute the energy at ambient temperatures to individual heat pumps which are installed within each home. The property types consist of mainly low rise one or two bedroom flats but also houses, maisonettes, and two eight-storey tower blocks. The ground works included the drilling of boreholes up to 200m deep into the ground, with site set-up ensuring safe access was provided at all times. All internal works (Ground source heat pump, cylinder and radiator installations) were completed with tenants living in-situ while minimising disruption.