Kensa Group
Kensa Group is a UK-based manufacturer and installer of ground source heat pumps, including compact flat units and a networked architecture serving multiple dwellings, serving social housing providers, housing developers, public/commercial buildings and private homeowners, and backed by Octopus Energy and Legal & General.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersTruro, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kensa Group does
Kensa Group is a UK-based manufacturer and solutions provider of ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), headquartered in Truro and founded in 1999. The company designs and sells a product range spanning compact units for individual flats (Shoebox, Shoebox NX) through to higher-capacity systems for larger residential and commercial buildings (Evo, Kensa Q), using the refrigeration cycle to extract renewable thermal energy from the earth via boreholes or ground loops. Its distinctive offering is a networked GSHP architecture—shared ground loop infrastructure serving multiple dwellings that mirrors the gas grid model—enabling community-scale decarbonisation without individual ground loops or grid upgrades. Kensa has also brought drilling capability in-house, integrating borehole installation into its delivery model.
The company serves four primary customer segments: social housing providers and local authorities (e.g., Thurrock Council, where 273 heat pumps replaced night storage heaters in tower blocks), housing developers seeking Future Homes Standard compliance, public and commercial building operators, and private homeowners (often supported by Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants). Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales to large accounts with a certified installer network and an e-commerce parts store (shop.kensa.co.uk); a flagship partnership with GTC bundles Kensa's networked heat pumps alongside other utilities for housing developers, streamlining procurement.
Kensa is privately held, with 11–50 employees, and is partly owned by Legal & General Capital and Octopus Energy's generation arm following a £70 million investment in May 2023—the largest investment in Britain's ground source technology to date. The funding is targeted at scaling to 50,000 GSHP installations per year by 2030, creating over 7,000 green jobs across the supply chain, and aligning Kensa with the UK's national target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028.
Kensa Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kensa Group
- Legal name
- Kensa Group
- Website
- https://thekensagroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kensa Group is a UK-based manufacturer and installer of ground source heat pumps, including compact flat units and a networked architecture serving multiple dwellings, serving social housing providers, housing developers, public/commercial buildings and private homeowners, and backed by Octopus Energy and Legal & General.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Kensa Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Truro
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Kensa Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Ground Source Heat Pump Hardware Sales: Kensa manufactures and sells a range of ground source heat pump products (Shoebox, Shoebox NX, Evo, Kensa Q) to housing developers, social landlords, commercial building owners, and private homeowners. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales, with product range spanning compact units for individual flats to high-capacity systems for commercial developments.
- Installation and Project Services: Kensa provides end-to-end project delivery including in-house drilling services, system design, and installation for large-scale deployments such as social housing retrofits and housing development projects, generating professional services revenue.
- Parts and Aftermarket Sales: Kensa operates a parts store (shop.kensa.co.uk) for installers and end customers to purchase replacement parts and accessories, providing ongoing aftermarket revenue from the installed base.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) funding available for qualifying homeowner retrofits |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kensa Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kensa Group manufactures and installs ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems — including the Shoebox, Shoebox NX, Evo, and Kensa Q product lines — for residential, social housing, new-build development, and commercial applications across the UK. The company also delivers networked GSHP solutions that share ground loops across multiple dwellings to enable community-scale decarbonisation, and operates an in-house drilling service and online parts store for end-to-end project delivery and aftermarket support.
Product overview
Kensa Group is a UK-based ground source heat pump manufacturer and installer offering a portfolio of compact to high-capacity heat pump products. The product lineup includes the Shoebox NX, Evo, Kensa Q, and Shoebox models designed for applications ranging from individual flats to housing developments, social housing, and commercial buildings. Kensa also provides networked ground source heat pump solutions that share ground loops across communities, and recently launched an in-house drilling service to support installations. The company is partly owned by Legal & General and Octopus Energy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kensa Shoebox NX: Next generation compact heat pump for individual flats and homes
- Kensa Evo
- Kensa Q
- Kensa Shoebox
Products and services
- Kensa Shoebox NX Next-generation compact ground source heat pump designed for individual flats, offering efficient renewable heating and cooling for residential properties.
- Kensa Evo Ground source heat pump from Kensa's product range, engineered for efficient renewable heating in various residential and commercial applications.
- Kensa Q Ground source heat pump in Kensa's product lineup, designed for delivering efficient renewable heating solutions.
- Kensa Shoebox Compact ground source heat pump designed for individual residential properties, providing efficient renewable heating and cooling.
- Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps Shared ground loop system that delivers renewable heating to entire communities, mirroring the gas grid model to bring low-carbon heating to multiple properties including high-rise blocks.
- In-House Drilling Service Dedicated in-house drilling service providing expertise and support for ground source heat pump installations, including borehole drilling.
- Kensa Parts Store Online e-commerce parts store for installers and customers to purchase replacement parts and accessories for installed Kensa ground source heat pump systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- Heat pumps are three to four times more efficient than conventional boilers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Kensa Group
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Kensa Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Kensa Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- GTC (Utility Infrastructure Provider)flagshipKensa and GTC formed a partnership to deliver networked ground source heat pumps at scale for new housing developments. GTC packages Kensa's solution alongside other utilities (electricity, gas, telecoms), enabling cost-effective compliance with Future Homes Standards without requiring grid upgrades and simplifying procurement for developers.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Kensa Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NIBE Energy Systems: Swedish-listed manufacturer of ground source and air source heat pumps serving European residential and commercial markets. NIBE is the closest large-scale direct peer to Kensa in GSHP manufacturing and is widely viewed as a benchmark for European heat pump scale economics.
- BDR Thermea Group: European heat pump manufacturer (brands include Baxi, De Dietrich, Remeha) with a strong UK presence through Baxi. Like Kensa, BDR Thermea serves UK housing developers, social housing, and homeowner retrofit segments across multiple heat pump technologies.
- Grant UK: UK-based manufacturer and distributor of heating solutions including a growing ground source and air source heat pump range. Grant competes head-to-head with Kensa in UK housing developer, social housing, and installer channel segments.
- Ideal Heating: Major UK boiler and heat pump manufacturer supplying social housing providers, developers, and installers. Ideal Heating's heat pump push directly overlaps Kensa's core UK customer base in social housing decarbonisation and new-build developments.
- Vaillant: European heat pump manufacturer with a strong UK footprint across residential and commercial heat pumps. Vaillant competes with Kensa across UK installer, developer, and retrofit channels and is a benchmark for product breadth and dealer network.
- Viessmann: German family-owned heating manufacturer with a comprehensive heat pump portfolio including ground source models. Viessmann serves UK residential, commercial, and social housing customers through installer and developer channels.
Broad incumbents
- Daikin: Global HVAC and heat pump leader with a dominant UK position, primarily in air source heat pumps. Daikin is a broad incumbent competing for the same end-customers as Kensa but with much wider product breadth, manufacturing scale, and installer coverage.
- Mitsubishi Electric: Major Japanese HVAC/heat pump manufacturer with strong UK Ecodan air source heat pump franchise. Like Daikin, it competes with Kensa for housing developers and installers but as part of a much broader building systems portfolio.
- Bosch Thermotechnology: UK presence through Worcester Bosch — a dominant UK boiler brand now expanding aggressively into heat pumps. Bosch competes with Kensa in the installer, developer, and homeowner retrofit channels with deep brand and trade relationships.
Others
- Octopus Energy: UK energy retailer and Kensa's lead investor (via its generation arm) that also offers its own heat pump installation services and Cosy Homes packages. Octopus is an ecosystem participant — both a capital partner and a potential channel/competitor for low-carbon heating deployments.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kensa Group social profiles
Digital presenceKensa Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kensa Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kensa Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kensa Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kensa Group
What does Kensa Group do?
Kensa Group manufactures and installs ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems — including the Shoebox, Shoebox NX, Evo, and Kensa Q product lines — for residential, social housing, new-build development, and commercial applications across the UK. The company also delivers networked GSHP solutions that share ground loops across multiple dwellings to enable community-scale decarbonisation, and operates an in-house drilling service and online parts store for end-to-end project delivery and aftermarket support.
Is Kensa Group a public or private company?
Kensa Group is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Kensa Group founded?
Kensa Group was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kensa Group based?
Kensa Group is headquartered in Truro, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Kensa Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ground Source Heat Pump Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are installation and Project Services and parts and Aftermarket Sales.
Who are Kensa Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NIBE Energy Systems, BDR Thermea Group, Grant UK, Ideal Heating, Vaillant and Viessmann. Broad incumbents are Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Bosch Thermotechnology. Octopus Energy is listed as an others.
Does Kensa Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kensa Group.