Small Biomass Network heating project
A small rural estate consisting of a main historic cobb farmhouse, the associated gatehouse, converted accommodation, and a barn used for functions needed a sustainable heating and hot water solution to serve all of the buildings.
The owners wanted to make use of existing timber from their sustainably managed woodland, reducing reliance on purchased fuels while providing reliable heating across the estate.
What we did
Our team provided consultancy, system design and equipment specification for a centralised biomass heating system.
The solution centred on an 80 kW wood-fired boiler supplying heating and hot water through a shared underground loop.
Our work focused on developing a practical system that could use the estate's own woodfuel, be run by their staff and largely maintained by them, and of course meet the heating requirements of several buildings.
A substantial thermal store allowed the system to supply heat even whilst the boiler was not lit. Heat interface units at each property meant and issues in a specific property would not effect the rest of the system, and heat metering allowed the owners to charge for the heat used in the rented accommodation.
Potential savings and benefits
- Reduced fuel costs - through the use of locally harvested wood instead of oil.
- Shared heating infrastructure means the need for separate boilers in each building was abvoided.
- Greater energy independence - means to this day the are not effected by the volatile global fossil fuel markets.
- Coordinated design and specification - helped avoid unsuitable equipment choices and unnecessary expenditure.
Early involvement in the design allowed the heating requirements, available fuel and equipment specification to be considered together, rather than as separate decisions, and a system that is "as simple as possible, but not simpler" was the result - and it's still running to this day.
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