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The National Trust is making its biggest ever investment in renewable energy to heat and power more of the historic places under its remit.
The £30 million investment follows the successful completion of five renewable energy projects at properties in its care and is part of a £3.5 million pilot it launched with Good Energy in 2013.
The projects included a biomass boiler at Ickworth in Suffolk which was officially switched on by Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The new boiler replaced a 5,000-litre oil tank in the grounds, removing the risk of contamination from oil leaks.
Other renewable energy ambitions include:
The commitment to invest £30 million in renewable energy marks a milestone in reaching its targets to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, cut energy usage by 20% and source 50% per cent of energy from renewable sources on land the National Trust looks after by 2020.
The Trust’s renewable energy programme could also help save up to £4 million on energy costs each year. Electricity generated from some of the projects will be sold to the grid providing it with a source of income. Coupled with the savings made, this will allow the Trust to spend more money on its ‘vital’ conservation work.
More than 40 further projects are being tackled that include a 200kW lake source heating project on the Blickling Estate in Norfolk which will remove two oil tanks and 25,572 litres a year of oil consumption with an estimated saving of 68 tonnes of CO2 per year and two biomass boilers at Upton House in Warwickshire to heat the mansion and other areas, saving an estimated 55 tonnes of CO2 per year.
“In setting out our 10-year plan we recognised we’ll have to play our part in helping to mitigate climate change,” said Patrick Begg, Rural Enterprises Director, National Trust. “Many of the properties in our care are energy intensive and in remote areas without access to mains gas. Installing renewable technology in these places is a huge challenge but we’ve learned a great deal and will continue to do so.”
Picture: As part of the National Trust’s £30 million 10-year plan, a biomass boiler was recently installed at Ickworth in Suffolk
Article written by Mike Gannon | Published 17 July 2015
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