A heating system used at Heather Farm Wetland Centre in Horsell is fuelled by woodchip from the Horsell Common Preservation Society (HCPS) estate, creating a cost effective and sustainable method for the centre.

When HCPS began planning the refurbishment of the building at the Heather Farm Wetland Centre, thoughts turned to the possible link between management of the society’s woodland and the requirement to heat the 18,000 sq ft building.

A large proportion of Horsell Common in Woking is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the special flora and fauna that exists on the common’s fragmented areas of lowland heath.

However, the endangered habitat is being lost to secondary woodland as historic management practices, such as grazing and gathering fuel, have all but disappeared from Surrey’s commons.

A heathland recovery programme, funded by Natural England through its Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, has now been implemented by HCPS, which involves the removal of trees from areas of heathland in order to restore the habitat.

It was then an easy decision for HCPS to opt for a state-of-the-art biomass boiler to utilize the timber, rather than installing a conventional, unsustainable oil or gas system.

Horsell Common Preservation Society estate manager Paul Rimmer checks the furnace of the biomass plant.

Paul Rimmer, estate manager at HCPS, said: "The only difficulty was justifying the significant cost outlay over a conventional boiler but on investigation of the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (RHI) it became apparent that the outlay of £229,000 for the biomass system could be recouped within seven to 10 years.

"Another major factor was the desire to be as ecologically friendly in the building design.

"The woodchip burning heating system is considered to be carbon neutral as trees take carbon out of the atmosphere as they grow, which is replaced in the atmosphere as it is burnt, so there is no increase in atmospheric CO2 levels."

Paul Rimmer beside the the equipment which propels the wood chips into the furnace

How does it all work?

The Austrian built, 250kW heating system is fuelled by woodchip produced from the HCPS estate by collecting timber felled from the common and stored to dry for about 18 months.

Estate manager Paul Rimmer beside logs felled from the common to be chipped and used this year to heat the centre

The timber is then chipped into the biomass barn before being automatically fed into the boiler, which heats water to 80°c before being circulated to the building’s radiators and hot water tanks.

Not only is the system carbon neutral and sustainable in fuel terms, it is also very cost effective, which allows HCPS to pass on some of the savings to tenants at Heather Farm.

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Scrub clearance is also carried out at the common, part of a programme of works taking place at the common over the next 10 years.

The works improve the biodiversity of the lowland heath, which support a wide variety of different plants and animals who live there.