Duchy of Lancaster invests £150,000 in new biomass heating system

The Duchy of Lancaster, in accordance with its sustainability statement and acting as a responsible landlord, has invested £150,000 in a renewable energy heating system at a farm property on its Needwood Estate.

Woodhouse Farm is an equestrian centre and the biomass boiler will provide heating and hot water for both residential and commercial elements of the site. The woodchip biomass boiler system is the first of its kind for the Duchy and will be used to produce green energy at Woodhouse Farm in Tutbury.

Graeme Chalk, head of project management at the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “The Duchy of Lancaster has worked closely with property agent Savills and installer Asgard Biomass to design and procure the system, with Savills conducting extensive research into the benefits biomass technology would bring to the site.

“The Duchy has a strong commitment to renewable energy, with a number of our properties now using green technology such as ground source heat pumps, solar PV and rainwater harvesting. We will continue to investigate where we can use green technologies to enhance the sustainability and energy efficiency of Duchy properties.”

The farm’s previous heating consisted only of open fires. The biomass system will both help the environment and save hundreds of pounds each year in energy bills compared to LPG oil, gas or electric heating.

The biomass project will use existing woodchip from another Duchy tenant, forestry and harvesting company UPM Tilhill, which occupies the Needwood Sawmill site. The close proximity of the woodchip plant, just four miles away, will also bring environmental benefits.

Installation work on the biomass system started in September and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.