New woodchip boiler helps make Hever Castle self-sufficient

AN ENVIRONMENTALLY friendly woodchip boiler, costing £700,000 was switched on by the Duke of Kent, in Hever on Tuesday.

Representatives at Hever Castle said they had taken the measure to install the energy efficient biomass boiler to become "more environmentally friendly and energy efficient".

The castle has replaced its old oil-fired and LPG boilers with the 650kw woodchip boiler. The boiler uses woodchip waste from local sawmills to create heating and hot water for the castle, the Moat Restaurant, the Hever Shop and 14 residential properties.

Chief executive Duncan Leslie said: "We're making a commitment to being greener while, at the same time, reducing fuel bills. We're making the castle as energy self-sufficient as possible without spoiling the attraction."

With a grant of £139,000 from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, a £100,000 Carbon Trust loan and an estate investment of £460,000, 80 per cent of the castle's hot water and heating requirements will become renewable, saving 390 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The castle's head of maintenance Clive Manning said they had been working on the project for a couple of years and that for the most part the project had gone smoothly.

He added: "It saves a lot of work for us and gets us moving towards green energy.

"This is a good start and we are looking at the feasibility of other green energy resources."

The woodchip fuel is made locally from sawmill waste and poor quality timber. Castle spokesman Laura Swann said: "With haulage being carried out by local contractors, Hever Caste is minimising the transport miles and diverting money originally spent on fossil fuels into the local community."

Contractor Toby Douch, of the Forest Row-based company Douch Patners, said the project had gone "according to plan". He added the investment would be paid back in 10 years with the energy savings.

Consultant engineer Gary Botting, of MCA Engineers, said: "It (the project) has gone very well. It is great to see the boiler up and running. We started planning last year and I'm pleased with how it has turned out."

Hever Castle has a history of energy initiatives. When William Waldorf Astor bought the castle in 1903, he spent five years restoring and improving the castle, ensuring it was totally self-sufficient, with its own coal-fired power station and private water supply.