A CORNISH manufacturer of ground source heat pumps has expanded into Scotland with the appointment of a community heating specialist based in Glasgow. Matthew Black joins Kensa Contracting, a specialist in the large scale installation of ground source heat pumps, famed for its award-winning retrofit installations into everything from from rural communities to tower blocks.

Kensa, a Cornish word meaning ‘first’, claim to be the pioneers of ‘shared ground loop arrays’, a form of district heating which provides each home with its own ground source heat pump offering complete control and lower bills, whilst connected to a communal ambient temperature pipework infrastructure delivering ultra-efficient and low-carbon heating with no heat losses.

According to Kensa, deployment of ground source heat pumps is particularly effective at alleviating fuel poverty in rural areas. Mr Black joins the company with 10 years experience of delivering community energy schemes to decarbonise Scottish communities through low carbon heat and smart grid projects. He will be well known to some through his previous role at Fintry Development Trust.

Mr Black said: “Shared ground loop arrays are the most effective solution for delivering Scotland's ambitions for the decarbonisation of heat. Along with the right policy changes in Scotland we can make significant progress towards Scotland's 2045 net-zero carbon target and beyond. The race to decarbonise electricity in Scotland has made considerable progress. The race to decarbonise heat and transport is on!"

The firm already has ground source heat pumps providing heating to a number of sites across Scotland, notably Orkney Islands Council’s multi-purpose facility in Stromness, heated using the sea, and the first and most northerly ground source installations in Unst, in the Shetlands.