The ground-source heat pumps at the council-owned 10-storey block in New Addington will cut carbon emissions, help improve air quality and save up to £300 per home per year on more than 40 households' heating bills.

The project comes after Croydon Council declared a climate emergency this summer and aims to contribute towards a local target of cutting the borough's carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2025.

Kensa Contracting will be undertaking the ground-source heat pump installations, following on from an award-winning tower block retrofit scheme in Enfield, London.

The 44 flats are the first in Croydon to have ground-source heat pumps retrofitted, replacing the existing electric storage heaters. An individual Kensa Shoebox ground-source heat pump will be installed in each flat, connected to an ambient shared ground-loop array.

The ambient nature of the heating distribution system will prevent overheating of communal areas, while the individual heat pump in each flat will provide the tenant with independent control and the freedom to switch fuel suppliers for the cheapest energy tariff.

Kensa expects to complete the works by spring 2020, timed to coincide with an 18-month, £3.2 million (US$4.1 million) refurbishment programme at the building.

The £700,000 heating system will be funded through the council's ring-fenced housing budget and via energy credits from UK energy regulator Ofgem.