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The National Trust committed £30 million through its Renewable Energy Investment Programme to deliver circa 40 renewable energy projects across its UK estate, targeting 50% of energy from renewable sources and the removal of all oil heating systems. We were appointed to provide renewable heating consultancy services across a number of National Trust sites — from initial feasibility through to design, delivery, and handover — including Grade I listed properties where modification of historic fabric presented significant technical constraints. Completed installations include schemes at Ickworth House, Speke Hall, Benningborough Hall, Wallington Hall, Dunham Massey, Felbrigg Hall, Mottisfont Hall, Penrhyn Castle, and Dyffryn Gardens.
Appointed across multiple sites, we delivered a programme of renewable heating feasibility studies, detailed designs, and installations spanning wood chip and wood pellet boilers, heat pumps, solar thermal, and mini district heating schemes. A particular technical challenge across several sites was achieving low-temperature heat network compatibility within Grade I listed buildings where original heat emitters could not be replaced or building fabric could not be modified — requiring bespoke design solutions to meet both heritage and performance requirements.
Scope
We were appointed by the National Trust on a rolling basis to provide renewable energy support services across its UK estate, beginning with initial feasibility assessments at each site to identify the most technically and financially viable renewable heating solution from a range of technologies including wood chip and wood pellet boilers, ground, water and air source heat pumps, solar thermal, and district heating. Where projects were approved for progression, we were reappointed to deliver detailed design, tender specifications, procurement support, and Client's Engineer services through to acceptance testing and RHI accreditation. At Penrhyn Castle, our scope included a specific review and recommissioning of the primary system, preparation of a commissioning plan, secondary side revision works, and return visits to complete and sign off secondary commissioning — all within the constraints of a Grade I listed building where low-temperature network operation had to be achieved without replacing original heat emitters.
Services
Solution
Completed installations across the National Trust estate include a 200 kW wood chip boiler at Ickworth House, a 300 kW wood chip boiler and mini district heating scheme at Penrhyn Castle, and a 250 kW wood pellet boiler and mini district heating scheme at Dyffryn Gardens — alongside further schemes at Speke Hall, Benningborough Hall, Wallington Hall, Dunham Massey, Felbrigg Hall, and Mottisfont Hall. Across heritage sites, our designs achieved low-temperature hot water network operation compatible with non-replaceable original emitters, balancing the Trust's renewable energy ambitions with the strict constraints of listed building environments.