A British heat pump maker is aiming to bring low carbon heat to hard-to-reach homes and even flats with its new shoebox-sized, networkable pump.
Twenty-five year veteran Kensa believes its ground sourced, ‘game-changing’ Shoebox NX pump is suited to 60% of UK homes, including high-rise apartments and Victorian terraces.
The firm claims networked ground sourced pumps are 20% cheaper to install and run than air sourced equivalents. Small enough to fit in a cupboard, and designed with local heat grids in mind, the Shoebox NX is positioned to replicate and update the model of established gas grids.
As much as a third of greenhouse gas emissions come from heat, and 6.5 million UK homes are thought to be in fuel poverty. Kensa says its compact solution will boost pump installations, shielding millions from unpredictable energy costs by replacing imported gas with domestically produced renewable electricity.
Kensa CEO Tamsin Lishman said: “This is a game-changing heat pump, designed for the UK.
“Until now, achieving mass heat pump rollout has been a complex challenge. With our Shoebox NX, we’ve engineered a small, high-performance heat pump that’s ready to replace gas as the main home heating choice.
“When combined with our Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps solution, it unlocks cosy homes in the winter and cooler homes in the summer for almost anyone, and at low costs to the consumer,” Lishman added.
For 25 years Kensa has been pioneering pump technology, including ground source devices. The firm says tests prove its ShoeboxNX is five times more efficient than a gas boiler, and can heat water to over 60oC without the need for an immersion heater. It has an A+++ efficiency rating and a 25-year life expectancy.
The product’s launch is supported by investment house Legal and General Capital. Its head of clean energy investments John Bromley commented:
“Housing requires some of the most substantial and immediate overhauls of any industry to improve standards, reduce running costs for consumers, and to reach net zero. The Kensa Group’s highly efficient, networked ground-source heating and cooling will play a key part in this transition.
“As an experienced energy transition investor, we are proud to be supporting Kensa’s growth and we are delighted to see the launch of their latest ground-breaking Shoebox NX heat pump, a culmination of years of expertise and development.
