Camco

Camco is working with Winton Estate, East Lothian, to review its 250kW biomass community heating system and make recommendations for its improvement and possible extension. Three options have been developed to show how costs will vary depending on the scale of development and the variety of heating systems used.

Option 1:
Option 1 would retain the existing system in Winton Estate, which supplies heat to Winton House and several nearby estate cottages. The system would be extended to supply three other homes near the boiler house. This option could also provide heat to additional houses on the estate separately, either by communal or individual biomass (woodpellet) boilers, which supply heat to the houses via thermal stores.

Option 2:
This option would provide a partially de-centralised district heating system, heated by biomass boilers and backed-up by the school’s gas boilers. The existing Winton Estate system would be retained as in Option 1. A separate biomass district heating system would be built for the new council housing estate, with distribution to Pencaitland Primary School and the church.

Option 3:
Winton Estate. The existing Winton Estate system would be upgraded and connected to the new boilers. A separate district heating pipe would run through Winton Estate, supplying heat to the outlying estate houses, before feeding a large thermal store at the new council housing estate. The pipe would then connect to the primary school and the church. The gas boilers in the school would be used to provide peak-load and back-up heat to the entire system; whenever insufficient heat is available from the biomass boilers. The system would be designed to avoid the use of gas as much as possible.

Localised thermal storage has been recommended as a means of reducing the maximum size of the distribution network and individual biomass boilers, by providing local storage of heating water for peak loads. Sequenced charging of the thermal stores around the system will reduce the size of the central biomass boilers.

It is intended that a number of existing buildings will be heated by the extended district heating system, including Pencaitland Primary School and the church. The boilers in the school are in good condition and run on gas. A solution is to use the gas boilers on the district heating network for peak-load and back-up heating. This would save on capital costs and make use of the existing plant.

The choice of which system to go for will be decided upon by Winton Estate, in collaboration with East Lothian Council. It is hoped that external grant funding can be made available.

A more detailed feasibility study will be carried out once there is more definition as to the best choice of system and the amount of funding available.

Camco has also advised Winton Estate on the aspects of wood-fuel management, including forestry and chipping methods.