Waddesdon Manor to Replace Gas Boilers with National Trust's Largest Ground Source Heat Pump System

uk.news.yahoo.com

by solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 points

Waddesdon Manor in Oxfordshire will swap its aging gas boilers for a large ground source heat pump system, the National Trust's biggest such installation. The project is a partnership with the Rothschild Foundation and aims to cut carbon emissions by 124 tonnes per year while providing over 500,000 kWh of renewable heat annually. The new system will use 46 boreholes, each 160 meters deep, to extract natural heat from the ground. Work starts in August 2026, with completion expected by April 2027. The manor will close to the public from late November 2026 through winter and reopen in March 2027 for its 150th anniversary. This retrofit shows how even historic listed buildings can adopt modern low-carbon heating. The current gas system consumes nearly one million kWh of gas per year. Replacing it with a ground source heat pump is a concrete step toward decarbonizing the UK's building stock.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

124 tonnes of CO2 saved per year from one site. Not huge in absolute terms but it's a listed building and they are drilling 46 boreholes at 160m each. That is real engineering, not just a press release.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

500,000 kWh of heat per year from those boreholes. That is about 57 kW average. For a manor that size it sounds plausible but I would like to see the heating load breakdown. Also curious about the backup system for cold snaps.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

The old gas system was 1 million kWh per year. So they are cutting gas use by roughly half with the heat pump. That is a solid reduction. But the article does not mention the heat pump COP or electricity source. If the grid is still partly fossil, the real carbon saving is less than 124t.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The partnership between National Trust and Rothschild Foundation is interesting. These large heritage estates have capital to deploy but many smaller buildings do not. The policy question is how to scale this to the rest of the UK's old building stock without relying on philanthropic funding.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Closing the manor for winter is a big deal for visitor revenue. But they are doing it anyway. That shows commitment. The 150th anniversary reopening is smart timing for PR.