Flagship customers in Suffolk feeling the benefit of renewable heating

Residents of Quayside Court in Lakenheath, Suffolk, are enjoying warm homes with significantly lower heating bills, thanks to a new communal ground source heat pump installed by Finn Geotherm.

Owned and managed by housing association Flagship, the 21 bungalows were built during 1970s. Heating was provided by individual electric storage heaters and a shared oil boiler, which were inefficient and expensive to run. Having completed an award-winning district heating scheme for Flagship in 2017, Finn Geotherm were appointed to design and install a similar solution in partnership with Gasway Services.

The new district heating scheme at Quayside Court uses one central ground source heat pump housed in a standalone plant room. Heat is collected from under the ground via 14 boreholes installed beneath the parking area and two Lämpöässä Emi 43 ground source heat pumps generate all the heating and hot water for each home. Every bungalow is individually metered and customers are only charged for the energy they use.

Quayside Court residents are now enjoying cheaper energy bills – costing around 56% less than before. Energy use has also been cut by 70%, making a significant impact on carbon emissions and providing a more affordable and efficient living environment for Flagship customers. The installation qualifies for the Non-domestic RHI.

Charlie Conley, Head of Asset Investment at Flagship, said:

“Working with heating experts such as Finn Geotherm and Gasway allows us to explore further opportunities to reduce the cost of living for our customers, and the savings should make a real difference for them. Quayside Court is our second district heating installation and we hope to see many more in the future.”

Guy Ransom, Commercial Director at Finn Geotherm, said:

“We are delighted to complete this project for Flagship, which has had such a positive impact on the residents at Quayside Court. Not only does this system eradicate fuel poverty and create homes that they can enjoy living in, but it also significantly reduces energy use and cuts carbon emissions.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED! This project was highly commended in National H&V News Awards 2020.