National Trust replaces oil with biomass boilers
Two wood-pellet boilers have been installed at the National Trust’s Nunnington Hall near York to replace an old an inefficient oil-fired heating system. The two 50 kW boilers were installed by re:heat of Alnwick as part of the National Trust’s environmental commitment to substantially reduce carbon emissions at its properties by switching to more renewable energy sources and deliver 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Nunnington Hall is an historic mansion housing one of the world’s finest collection of antique miniatures. It can be traced back to Tudor times.
An oil-fired boiler, storage tanks and pipe network running from a garage under a courtyard to the stately home were removed, allowing re:heat to install the new biomass boilers.
National Trust project manager Edward Hall explains, ‘It was a complex project, but well worth the effort. In addition to reducing our impact on the environment, going to biomass gives us a level of security in no longer responding to fluctuating oil prices, and we qualify for the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. Even better, the money we save can be put back into the conservation of the property.’
Ben Tansey, re:heat director, said, ‘This was a very sensitive site, and the spec that we were given was quite challenging in that a very old heating system was in place which needed to be replaced to meet the hall’s present-day and future needs.’