MHG heats former royal glasshouses
A ProCon HT gas-fired boiler from MHG Heating was specified by consulting engineers Martin Thomas Associated to replace two increasingly unreliable cast-iron boilers serving greenhouses at Osborne on the Isle of Wight. The 150 kW boiler was installed by Clarke’s Mechanical.
This former royal residence was built as a summer home and rural retreat for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. One of the features of the estate is a walled garden which housed a number of greenhouse. The two that remained when English Heritage took over the site in 1984 have been restored, and one contains a traditional staged bedding display.
The existing brick stack has been relined with MHG’s flexible flue system.
The open-vented heating system is separated from the boiler by a plate heat exchanger to protect it from debris in the original cast-iron pipework system. The new boiler is on a pressurised primary circuit.
Controls in the boiler enable the two greenhouses to be controlled separately to enhance energy efficiency.