St Peter’s Church, Brockley

One of London’s first biomass boilers has been installed at St Peter’s Church in Brockley, Lewisham. The new system is powered by wood pellets, a renewable fuel, and replaces old electric heaters. The previous heating system was so expensive and ineffective that the very old and very young often had to stay away from Church in the middle of winter.

It is estimated that the new biomass heating system will prevent the emission of nearly 90 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Rev Corinne Tournay is delighted with the project which has formed part of a larger refurbishment, including the installation of under floor heating. The installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the church roof will follow shortly.

The new system is expected to consume around 48 tonnes of wood pellets, so while tackling climate change is seen as the major driver, the church’s heating bill should also be cut in half.

St Peter's Church	80kW Herz pellet boiler	Under floor heating

For more information on this project, please click here.

St Nicholas Church, Rochester

This Medieval church building in the lea of Rochester Cathedral has recently been refurbished and converted into offices for use by the Diocese of Rochester. As part of the project, the Diocese decided to pursue and environmental solution for both their heat and electricity demands.

Heat is generated through a small 50kW pellet boiler that they were able to fit into the existing plant room. Pellets are stored in an adjacent room and delivered automatically to the boiler.

Electricity is produced by a 4.9kWp array of solar photovoltaic panels sensitively sites behind the parapet roof line. The panels are not visible from ground level and do not affect the appearance of this Grade I listed building at all. Interested viewers will just be able to see the panels from the top of adjacent Rochester Cathedral or from the top of nearby Rochester Castle.

St Nicholas Church	Photovoltaic array	Biomass boiler

For more information on this project, please click here.

CEN supported the installation of a new biomass heating system at RJ Mitchell Primary School in Hornchurch, Havering. The new system, running on wood pellets, replaces an old and expensive oil powered boiler system – and is an excellent example of how going green and saving money can go hand in hand.

The new system combines a 95kW wood pellet boiler with a small backup gas boiler to meet peak loads. By eliminating the use of 20,000 litres of oil, the system is preventing the emission of approximately 45 tonnes of CO2 per year. Financially, the school anticipate savings of over £1,000 annually.

CEN provided feasibility studies for the school, secured funding, and supported the project throughout the installation process.

RJ Mitchell is very happy with the installation, which, in addition to reducing their carbon footprint and saving them money, is a valuable education tool for the children. Havering Council are considering other sites in the borough for the installation of biomass, and this will secure further carbon savings, and support the growth of woodfuel industry within London.

95kW Pellet Boiler	Wood pellet store	Boiler in operation

Please click here for a video explaining the biomass system at RJ Mitchell in more detail.

Bore Place

Commonwork is a group of organisations based on an organic farm and study centre, working towards sustainable solutions in farming, the environment and education. The study centre, Bore Place, is situated in the Kent countryside, southwest of Sevenoaks. CEN have worked with Commonwork on a variety of renewable projects. In particular, CEN supported Commonwork through the installation of a woodfuel boiler to heat the main house and conference centre at the farm.

The new system is an 85kW wood chip system, installed by Bioenergy. The site is currently supplied by local wood chip, and the aim is to utilise wood from the estate itself thereby increasing fuel savings dramatically. The previous system – an old oil boiler – used approximately 18,000 litres of oil each year. The subsequent carbon savings are estimated at 45 tonnes of CO2 per annum with annual cost savings of at least £3,600.

CEN provided an initial site assessment, boiler sizing, helped with choosing an appropriate system, ran a value for money tender, helped secure funding from Kent Downs AONB and SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) and provided ongoing support during the installation and fuel sourcing.

Bore Place are happy with the installation and often hold open days and events where it is possible to see the system in operation.

Containerised System (construction)	Boiler in operation using local wood chip	Containerised System (finished)

Deen City Farm

Deen City Farm is based on National Trust land, as part of the Morden Hall Park Estate in the London Borough of Merton. The farm is an educational resource, a working farm which is free to visit. CEN have supported Deen City Farm with the installation of three forms of renewable technology, helping the farm save money and carbon, and to demonstrate aspects of sustainability to thousands of visitors.

CEN initially provided a site assessment of the farm and discovered that the site had good potential for biomass, wind power and solar power. CEN assessed these technologies, providing technical and cost data, and then helped secure funding for the farm to install all three technologies.

Funding was obtained from EDF, Low Carbon Buildings Programme (Phases 1 and 2), and the LDA (London Development Agency). In addition to securing funding, CEN supported the farm through the planning and installation process. A critical issue concerned the fact that the farm is in a Smoke Control Area, and required an exempt appliance – however there were no log systems registered as exempt appliances at the time. CEN liaised with the Local Authority, the installer and the testing body, to ensure the system passed all emission tests and achieved exemption.

The biomass system was installed in 2008 by Bioenergy, and is a 29kW log boiler. The system runs off fuel from the local estate. CEN also facilitated the installation of a 5kW wind turbine and a 1.3kWp solar photovoltaic array.

Solar PV Array	Wildlife at the farm	5kW Wind Turbine

If you are interested in investigating a biomass project of your own and would like to know how CEN can help, please contact biomass@cen.org.uk or phone 020 8683 6600.

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