Breakthrough biomass boiler lowers Escot House’s carbon footprint and keeps stately home warm
An East Devon manor house, built in the 1840s, has been brought well into the 21st century with the addition of an environmentally-friendly biomass boiler.
John-Michael and Lucy Kennaway, whose family have owned Escot House near Ottery St Mary for more than 200 years, investigated getting the high-tech system when the price of oil for their traditional boiler started to rocket – and they were thrilled to find out that, not only will the system save them more than £6,000 per year in fuel costs, but also it has reduced their carbon emissions by 95 tonnes per year and made the buildings on their estate much warmer and more comfortable.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be helping the environment, and doing something that saves us money and helps us continue developing our business,” said owner Lucy Kennaway. “Since Mish and I took over the running of the estate 30 years ago we’ve tackled the restoration head on, doing our utmost to develop Escot’s activities in harmony with our natural environment, so our new addition fits in perfectly with that philosophy.
“Our tenants are delighted too,” she added, “as we are now able to provide their houses and apartments with constant hot water and heating, which makes a big difference to how comfortable their properties are over winter.”
The state-of-the art system, which was installed by local renewable energy experts SunGift Energy, is located in a purpose built boiler house in woodland at the back of Escot House and provides heat and hot water for the manor house itself and 12 other buildings on the estate. The company has also provided simple-to-understand information boards for visitors and school parties, so that they can be educated on how the biomass system works and discover the environmental benefits of woodfuel.
“The system at Escot really is an example of the most modern and efficient biomass technology,” said Jamie Burnham, biomass system designer at SunGift. “It shows that woodchip is a clean, easy-to-use fuel that fits in perfectly with the needs of a modern business. The boiler room and fuel store, which we purpose-built to Escot’s requirements, are also extremely well presented, as opposed to the perception of old boiler rooms which often look unsightly and dirty.”
As the biomass boiler installed uses sustainable woodfuel, which is supplied by local business Brendon Hill Tree Services, Escot is eligible to receive 20 years of payments from the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). This means that it receives 8.6 pence per unit for roughly 90% of heat it generates and 2.2 pence per unit for the remaining 10%. As a result, the Kennaways will generate a return on their initial investment of more than 10 per cent per year, while also helping them do even more towards preserving our natural environment.
“Biomass systems are an excellent solution for large estates and commercial businesses like Escot,” said Jamie Burnham, Project Manager at SunGift. “The RHI provides businesses with a great opportunity to move away from their reliance on expensive, imported fossil fuels and allows them to invest in cleaner technology that uses a sustainable local fuel source, reducing their running costs and receive generous government incentives, turning a large overhead into a substantial income.”
Lucy Kennaway added: “It’s made a huge difference to the way we run our heating here at Escot, and we’re thrilled with the work that SunGift has carried out – the boiler room looks exceptional and their work has been meticulous.”
To celebrate the completion of the boiler, Escot is holding an open evening, where visitors will get the chance to tour the boiler house, see presentations on the technology by SunGift Energy, and enjoy refreshments at the manor house. The event takes place on Thursday 27 Feb from 5.30-7pm – anyone interested in attending should contact Mandy Newby on 01392 213912, mandy@sungiftenergy.co.uk or visit www.sungiftsolar.co.uk.
