Cornish SME Kensa Engineering led the way for small businesses and niche innovations at the recent South West Green Energy Awards, securing the title of ‘Business Innovation of the Year’ for the company’s newest innovation, the Shoebox Heat Pump.
The Shoebox is the latest product to be manufactured by Kensa who, approaching their 15th trading year, has grown to become the most successful UK manufacturer in the heat pump market.
Kensa’s Shoebox Heat Pump won the coveted ‘Business Innovation of the Year’ title at the SW Green Energy Awards, hosted by Regen SW and held at the Bath Assembly Rooms on Tuesday (26th November). The miniaturised appliance is the smallest and quietest heat pump on the market, which means that that the renewable technology can – for the first time – be installed inside a dwelling, creating a major new market opportunity.
When combined with Kensa’s communal ground array, the Shoebox also receives an annual income through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and it is expected to play a significant role in helping the government achieve its target of installing 6.8 million heat pumps by 2030.
Kensa’s Managing Director, Simon Lomax, who was presented the award at the event, comments: “We’ve created a new opportunity with the Shoebox that will hopefully lead the mainstream take up of renewable heating in domestic households. Winning this award is recognition of exceptional work from a team of the industry’s very best engineers.”
Stephanie Gregory, Marketing Manager for Kensa adds: “Like other successful SME’s, Kensa is often wrongly under-estimated by larger competitors - and we can use this to our advantage. Being a small business is not a weakness, rather we see our business as a ‘concentrate’, a ‘purée’ of specialists if you like; we employ the very best and focus our skills, experience and expertise to sustainably grow the business and continually deliver award-winning innovation, all from our headquarters based in Truro. The Shoebox is proof that size does not matter.”
Production of the Shoebox at Kensa’s Cornwall HQ has resulted in a 33% increase in production staff in the past 12 months.
