Community biomass heating system cuts bills

A Moray town hall saved from closure has a new lease of life thanks to a project to install a new wood pellet boiler heating system, slashing the venue's energy bills.

Leading renewables company, Organic Energy, supplied the biomass boilers which provide heat to Lossiemouth Town Hall, as well as the adjoining library and youth cafe.

Scotland's Energy Minister Fergus Ewing is due to visit the town hall this month to view the installation and meet with the community leaders who instigated the sustainable heating project.

Organic Energy is the UK's sole distributor of the leading OekoFEN wood pellet boiler range and worked with its accredited installer, Inverness-based Fraser and Sun, to develop the system.

Managing director of Organic Energy, Andy Boroughs, said: "Lossiemouth Town Hall is an impressive Victorian building which was saved from closure by volunteers after the local authority was forced to mothball it, due to running costs. It has been expanded but was in desperate need of an efficient and sustainable heating solution.

"We have created a tandem boiler system which supplies heat to the hall, library, youth centre and the meeting rooms. The community of Lossiemouth is responsible for this project and have worked tirelessly to upgrade the facilities which were expensive and out of date. 

"OekoFEN built a special Energy Box as a store for the wood pellets with the boilers housed inside the building in the plant room."

The #150,000 heating system was funded by a combination of private investment and grants from Community Energy Scotland and Moray Leader, a rural development funding programme for communities in rural Moray.

Catherine Wood, chairwoman of the Town Hall Management Committee, said the decision to go ahead with a biomass heating solution from Welshpool-based Organic Energy, followed a trip to Lossiemouth's twin town in Bavaria.

She said: "We visited three different sites and all three installations were using Austrian-made OekoFEN boilers. We realised that would be the way to go for the town hall as well, which was when we began working with Organic Energy and Fraser and Sun.

"We are delighted with the boiler system, which has not only cut our heating bills but has made a huge difference to the fabric of the building. Before, even when the heaters were on, it was very cold and never properly heated up. Now the walls seem to have dried out and you feel the warmth as soon as you enter the building.

"We think we'll save around #2,000 a year on our heating bills which is tremendous. There is also a possibility that we could receive income from some of our neighbours should they decide to take their energy from our system in the future."

Steven Watson, of Community Energy Scotland said: "Lossiemouth Town hall has blazed a trail. The committee's efforts have ensured that thanks to local expertise, national backup from Organic Energy and quality Austrian technology from OekoFEN, renewable fuel is being used to heat the community facility.

"Local people have made the difference here, swapping a cold hall with unsustainable gas heating to a warmer, more financially and environmentally sustainable building ready for the next generation to enjoy."

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing will be making an official visit to the Lossiemouth Town Hall to view the new heating system and meet those involved in the project on November 14.