Ed Miliband: Networked heat pumps are a ‘crucial’ technology

Louise Frohlich
Written By
Maximilian Schwerdtfeger
Reviewed By
Published on 12 June 2024
  • Networked Heat Pumps can provide heating and cooling for multiple properties
  • In-street pipework can benefit entire communities
  • Miliband was visiting British heat pump manufacturer Kensa, in Cornwall 
Ed Miliband visits a heat pump supplier

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband visits Kensa Heap Pumps in Cornwall

Shadow secretary for Energy and Net Zero, Ed Miliband MP, has hailed the importance of heat pumps in the UK’s bid to hit net zero carbon emissions on a visit to a factory in Cornwall. 

The former Labour leader made the comments while visiting Kensa, a British heat pump manufacturer, where he discussed the company’s vision to deliver affordable, renewable heating and cooling for UK households.

He said a Labour government would work with the company to make heat pumps part of the UK’s energy transition.

Following a £70m investment from Legal & General and Octopus Energy, Kensa is working with communities and businesses across the UK to deliver its heat decarbonisation solution – Networked Heat Pumps

Networked heat pumps consist of ground source heat pumps installed in individual properties, e.g. flats, terraced streets or new-build homes, that are all connected to a shared network of underground pipework, providing each property with low-cost, renewable heating, hot water and cooling.

“It (networked ground source heat pumps) is an innovative technology, it’s a crucial technology, it’s absolutely part of the mix if I’m concerned,” Milliband said. 

“And if Labour’s in Government and I’m the secretary of state after 4 July, I look forward to working with Kensa to tackle the shared goals we have, to tackle fuel poverty and decarbonise our country. 

“It’s not just about decarbonisation, and clean energy and tackling fuel poverty, it’s about good jobs for people, it’s about good wages which is really important to Cornwall and really important across the country.” 

Tamsin Lishman, CEO of Kensa, said: “Networked Heat Pumps are already servicing thousands of properties across the UK, lowering energy bills, tackling fuel poverty and keeping people warm in all types of properties, whether that’s social housing flats, terraced homes or new builds”. 

Thousands of properties have already received the Networked Heat Pumps solution, including 273 high-rise social housing flats in Thurrock, lowering their bills by up to 66%

The company has also heated new-build properties in Bristol and has been rolled out under the streets for medium-density housings in Stithians, Cornwall. 

Kensa’s goal is to help contribute to the government’s ambition to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 by installing 70,000 heat pumps a year by 2030, creating over 7,000 green UK manufacturing jobs in the process. 

Miliband told Kena’s CEO, Tamsin Lishman: “I’m incredibly impressed by everything I’ve seen here. The workforce, the vision, the commitment to tackling fuel poverty, I think Kensa’s got a really important role to play.” 

Earlier this year, the heat pump supplier launched its latest ground-source heat pump, the Shoebox NX, which is a compact heat pump designed for networked heat pumps. 

According to the supplier, the new heat pump is “five times more efficient than a gas boiler and will deliver heating and cooling almost any home and is small enough to fit inside a cupboard”. 

The visit follows the publication of Labour’s pledges for the upcoming 4 July general election that included the creation of a publicly-owned company, Great British Energy. 

The new company – should Labour form the next government – will be paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas companies and will help the UK meet its net zero carbon emissions targets by 2030. 

The party’s full election manifesto will be published soon.

Written by

Louise Frohlich

Louise joined The Eco Experts as Editorial Assistant in April 2004. She is a talented artist who has a keen interest in solutions that lead to a more environmentally-friendly future.

Louise graduated from the University of Winchester in 2022 and went on to write for The Eco Experts sister site, Expert Reviews. She has taken part in charity expeditions to Ecuador and Uganda to help build water pipes, promote environmental cleanup initiatives and implement sustainable farming techniques. She now uses her knowledge to help readers make more eco-friendly choices.

Alongside her passion for the environment she enjoys theatre, portraiture and Egyptology.

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Reviewed By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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