Ground Source Heat for Real Homes

How Amplius is using ground source heat pumps to learn what it really takes to align design, delivery and residents’ day to day lives in new social housing developments. 

Hosted by Jenny Danson, Co founder and CEO of Healthy Homes Hub, this episode brings together Marcus Keys, Andy Barradell and Leonie Jansen from Amplius to explore what happens when an organisation commits to ground source heat across almost 200 new homes. 

They discuss: 

• Why Amplius chose ground source over gas and air source, and what that meant for capital cost, lifecycle performance and Future Homes Standard readiness. 

• The design reality of “retrofitting on a new build”, from boreholes and haul roads to the practicalities of finding space for shoeboxes, cylinders and larger radiators. 

• How early collaboration between designers, M and E specialists, principal contractors and subcontractors can prevent gaps, delays and avoidable confusion on site. 

• Leonie’s brilliant “fridge” analogy, and why resident education, simple controls and in person demos matter as much as the engineering itself. 

Links and resources 
 

• Future Homes Standard overview: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-homes-and-buildings-standards-2023-consultation 

Practical steps for housing providers 

• Set your low carbon heating strategy before masterplanning begins. Bring your heat network or ground source specialists into the design phase to avoid rework later. 

• Define responsibilities clearly. Map who owns what between the ground source partner, main contractor, and M and E teams so nothing falls through the gaps. 

• Design for space early. Plan cupboards, cylinders and radiator layouts at concept stage, and test the real life usability of at least one show home before scaling. 

• Invest in resident onboarding. Use simple language, cupboard door guides, QR codes and optional one to one demonstrations. Make it as intuitive as using a fridge.