Stately home replaces oil with wood chips from its own estate
A stately home in Herefordshire has eliminated fuel costs following the installation of a wood-chip system to replace oil. Whitfield House can fuel the two 65 kW boilers supplied by Euroheat from wood chips derived from trees felled on the estate and dried and chipped on site. The annual oil bill was previously £25 000. The entire installation cost about £200 000, which should be paid back in about eight years — less if the Renewable Heat Incentive comes into effect.
The Efficient Energy Centre carried out the work. The company installed the oil system 10 years earlier and was familiar with the nuances of the building.
As well as the boilers, the wood-chip installation includes a chip store, hopper and accumulators. The Efficient Energy Centre was responsible for the whole job — boiler installation, refurbishment and plumbing.