Domestic ground source heat pump system success rolled out to Flagship customers

A new communal ground source heat pump system is set to cut Flagship customers’ heating bills by hundreds of pounds per year. This ground source project follows on from a similar award-winning installation completed at Flagship’s Orchard Close estate of 30 flats in Watton last year.

The new system being installed at Quayside Court in Lakenheath, Suffolk will improve quality of life and affordability for customers as well as reduce CO2 emissions.

The district heating system, which draws energy from the earth using a central heat pump and distributes it from a standalone plant room to each home, will replace the current individual electric storage heaters and oil boilers, providing a more effective and efficient system for the 21 bungalows.

The installation will qualify for the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), a Government scheme which assists with the project’s capital cost by providing quarterly payments for 20 years, allowing Flagship to roll out the much-improved heating system into other homes in the future.

Head of Asset Management at Flagship, Charlie Conley, said: “Ground source heat pumps are a low maintenance, sustainable way of heating our homes. We are committed to continually improving our renewable energy sources to help tackle fuel poverty and reduce our carbon footprint, and this system does that. Capital investment by Flagship as well as the RHI provides a positive and sustainable return for us and our customers.”

It is anticipated customers will start to use the new system shortly after Christmas.

Bryan and Maria Kelly have lived in their Quayside Court home for 11 years and said: “Getting the new heating system is fantastic. Once it’s up and running, we’re likely to save around £500 a year. Having this additional money in the bank will allow us to use it on other things such as a holiday. It gives us extra financial freedom.”

Attleborough-based renewable heating expert, Finn Geotherm, is working in partnership with Gasway Services Ltd to install the system. Finn Geotherm was responsible for the district heating system at Orchard Close, the first installed in East Anglia for a housing association. The Orchard Close project has subsequently won numerous awards for its innovative, energy and cost saving heating.

Finn Geotherm’s Commercial Director Guy Ransom said: “We are delighted that Flagship has chosen to install a second district heating system for its tenants. We have seen first-hand the difference a heat pump such as this has made to Flagship customers by eradicating fuel poverty and creating homes that customers can enjoy living in. It is a pleasure to be working with an organisation which not only puts its customers at the heart of its operations but also its responsibility to reducing carbon emissions and energy use.”

Key benefits of the project include:

• Zero CO2
• Reduced energy bills – immediate and long term
• System lasts three times longer than a conventional boiler
• Encourages customers to heat their homes, positively impacting on their health – reduction in damp and improved air quality
• Low maintenance requirements – cost and frequency
• Less intrusion for customers as equipment is stored in an external Plant Room

The system is also connected to the Finn Geotherm offices which allows it to be monitored wirelessly to ensure optimum performance and to highlight any potential maintenance.

Pictured –  External works being carried out at Quayside Court. Photo credit – Flagship Group.

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