Sutton Dwellings is an award-winning social housing retrofit project that showcases how heat pumps can be used in historic flats within dense urban environments.
Location: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England
Size: 81 flats
Benefits:
Bringing down bills
Delivering for the customer
Built in 1913, the social housing estate in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London occupies a high-density urban setting that meant space was limited for drilling and other trades on-site. Kensa carefully coordinated the project, frequently moving a mobile drilling rig onto the road to access different areas.
Kensa installed a ground source heat pump system, drilling vertical bore holes around 180 metres deep to collect low grade heat from the ground. This heat is then piped to each property where the heat is upgraded using a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) located in each flat.
The refurbished and modernised estate now has access to affordable, secure, low-carbon heat delivered by the Shared Ground Loop system (SGL).
“I really like that my new heating system is better for the environment and it is very easy to use. I like it on the estate – it’s a nice area and a nice community, I just like everything about it. Clarion were very helpful, a lovely lady helped me with my sign up and they even remember my dog’s name!”
Sandra, Sutton Dwellings resident
Strategic investment
- Demonstrates how heat can be decarbonised in tight urban environments and in buildings over 100 years old.
- Leverages the low-carbon, ambient heat from the ground to heat the homes and businesses.
Local impact
- Catalyses urban regeneration projects and futureproofed the historic estate to continue to function efficiently and house communities for years to come.
- The project is estimated to achieve a 70% carbon savings by harnessing the ground’s heat enabling the community to enjoy cleaner air compared to when fossil fuels are used.
“Kensa’s contribution to the regeneration of the historic Sutton Dwellings in Chelsea, one of the UK’s first examples of social housing and an incredibly important site for Clarion, has been invaluable.
“We initially faced considerable challenges in realising our low-carbon, fossil fuel-free ambitions for these densely packed, heritage buildings, but Kensa’s ground source heat pump technology provided the ideal solution. They worked closely with the main contractor and residents to ensure a smooth process, with minimal disruption and their professionalism throughout was exceptional”
Paul Quinn, Director of Regeneration, Clarion Housing Group
More case studies in this series can be found in ‘Better Connected: Unlocking heat network potential’:
- Find out how heat networks work, the types available and the current market
- Learn how they benefit customers, communities and the energy system
- Discover the projects already being delivered by Energy UK members
