Sustainable biomass boiler for a state of the art elephant enclosure
Sustainable biomass boiler for a state of the art elephant enclosure
| 20 year Return | £684,000 |
|---|---|
| Payback | 4 years (27% return) |
| Cost | £124,000 |
| Bill Saving | - |
| Income | £34,200 p.a. |
| Carbon Offset | 123,000 Kg p.a. |
Return is calculated using combined bill savings and subsidy earnings. Bill savings are calculated using estimated energy usage and either the electricity price at the time of installation (1 May, 2013) or, for our heating products, the existing fuel type available to the property.
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm are world-leading experts in elephant husbandry who are passionate about environmental sustainability. They approached EnergyMyWay with a truly unique set of requirements for a state of the art elephant house in Bristol.
The project was driven by the need to create the best possible environment for the elephants and by the Farm’s desire to leave the smallest possible environmental footprint.
The elephants needed a free draining sand floor, something best achieved by ensuring the sand was always damp. For the animals to stay happy and healthy the floor wetting system needed to provide a constant supply of warm water at a temperature appropriate to their natural habitat.
It’s also important for elephants to stay clean so the Elephant House was fitted with a walk-in hot water shower affectionately referred to as the ‘car wash’.
To meet the elephants’ appetite for hot water EnergyMyWay installed a 199 kW biomass centre. To meet the Farm’s desire to grow their own willow for fuel, the biomass centre was designed to run on wood chips rather than wood pellets.
The Zoo’s biomass boilers will offset a hefty 123 tonnes of carbon a year and will have paid for themselves within 3 years with income earned from the Renewable Heat Incentive.
After installing the biomass centre EnergyMyWay returned to the Elephant House to install solar powered heating fans in the elephant house roof. Elephants, being curious and powerful grazing animals, are inclined to dismantle interesting looking things like radiators and pipework if they can reach them.
The fans provided an efficient and environmentally sensitive heating system able to deliver the required elephant-friendly temperature of 18 to 20 degrees all year round – safe from wandering trunks!
Case study gallery:
Please click thumbnail to view larger image
