At the edge of the Abernethy forest and below the Cairngorm mountains sits the Dell of Abernethy, a secluded and peaceful escape from the rush of modern life.
A listed Georgian family home and the five self-catering holiday cottages set within its grounds have benefited from the recent installation of the latest in renewable technology; a biomass wood pellet boiler from Windhager UK.
Once home to William Forsyth, the historic property was restored in the 1960’s and has undergone more recent work which sees it brought up-to-date with cutting edge, environmentally friendly technology.
Four of the cottages have been converted from a wing of the 18th century grade B listed property, and heating and maintaining a comfortable temperature in these poorly insulated granite buildings had been a constant challenge. Now all the properties are heated using Windhager’s highly efficient biomass system, which replaces an oil boiler in the restored Georgian house and electric heating systems throughout the cottages. Guests, who were previously charged for their heating, are now offered an all-inclusive package, which enhances their experience at the Dell of Abernethy.
The efficiency of the wood pellet system combined with the considerable environmental benefits was a primary incentive for Dell of Abernethy owner Ross Cameron. He explains: "A wood pellet system seemed like the most effective and environmental way of future proofing our property's extensive heating requirement. The RHI scheme and The Energy Savings Trust made this possible for us and created an attractive investment for the next 20 years.”
A 60kW Windhager BioWIN boiler, a 1,000 litre AccuWIN accumulator tank and a bulk pellet hopper were installed by sustainable energy specialist Highland Heat and Power, which has extensive knowledge of both Windhager products and the RHI process.
Housed in a purpose built boiler room, the system is connected to the main building by 50m of pre-insulated underground pipework and via a plate heat exchanger provides separate heating and hot water circuits for both the self-catering units and the owners’ cottage.
Ross Cameron continues: “We have found the system overall to be entirely professional and care free; the installation looks great and works brilliantly. Returning guests are ecstatic about the difference not only in temperature but also in the quality of the heat – it is far superior to the stuffy feel of electric heating. We have been used to condensation on the single glazed windows, whereas now the Windhager boiler has given our guests controllable, quality heating, as well as high-pressure showers! Altogether I am a very happy customer.”
The Dell of Abernethy will benefit from the Renewable Heat Incentive payments, the first of which it has already received. The installation of biomass considerably improves the green credentials of the business as well as reducing its energy costs, and wood pellets are sourced and supplied locally, meaning that fuel costs are kept to a minimum.
A patented flexible feed system supplies the pellets, which allows, if necessary, the position of the pellet storage room to be independent of the boiler room. The Windhager system is developed to maximise fuel efficiency, and the BioWIN allows a metered and economical output through thermal controlled combustion technology. The boiler is reliable and efficient with virtually no maintenance, and with long intervals between cleaning.
Available in outputs of 35kW, 45kW, and 60kW and in a cascade version up to 240kW, the high output BioWIN is the ideal heating solution for large buildings, hotels, schools, public buildings, apartment blocks, care homes and district heating systems.
The BioWIN system is both versatile and flexible, equipped for use with other systems. It is also available as a pre-packaged plant room for a total turn key solution for an energy efficient renewable heating solution.
