The former Winsford Cottage Hospital in West Devon was designed by CFA Voysey, leading architect of the Arts & Craft Movement, and is a fine example of the movement’s architecture. It is his only building still in public ownership and remains almost entirely as it was when it opened in 1900.

Since being closed by the NHS in 1999 the building was transformed into a community centre serving the local community, however its central heating was too costly to operate regularly. Like many building owners, rising costs of oil and gas were a major concern and the project managers looked to renewable energy for alternatives.

Now Solarsense have installed a wood pellet boiler as part of the £1.5 million restoration programme. The 70kW biomass boiler has been installed in the existing boiler room, with the wood pellet fuel stored in the adjacent original coal store and automatically blown into a hopper feeding the boiler. Not only is the new heating system environmentally-friendly and much cheaper to run but it can be switched on and off remotely using a smart phone.

The Centre Manager, Daniellla Coughlin, said:

“It’s a beautiful building with a lovely calm atmosphere and the wonderful warmth from the pellet boiler makes it very welcoming. It is also very easy to operate using the touchscreen, and I can turn it on or off remotely from my iPhone.”

If you are a building owner interested in reducing your overheads please give us a call to discuss how renewable energy can help protect you from continuing energy price rises and shrink your carbon footprint.

Tel: 01275 461800