Haddo Estate

District Heating

Haddo Estate District Heating Scheme

A District Heating Scheme will be managed by Haddo Estate as part of the existing property refurbishment programme. Natural gas is not available to Haddo Estate and this has resulted in a reliance on oil, coal and electricity – all of which have seen significant price increases in recent years.

This, combined with the fact that energy from wood fuel for heating is one of the lowest cost renewable energy technologies, led to the decision to select biomass as a source of fuel. It also offers the end user affordable energy at a cost that is not affected by increases in fossil fuel prices.

The Estate also has the advantage of a supply of timber suitable for wood chipping and this offers a market for the lower grade outputs from harvesting. Haddo Estate is a group member of the Scottish Woodlands Certification Scheme and has a 20 year Forest Plan with FC Scotland.

The Estate has refurbished several properties which incorporate containerised woodchip boilers; a 30kW boiler for two larger properties at Little Methlick Farm, a 50kW boiler for four variously sized properties at Raxton Farm, Tarves and a 30KW boiler for three small properties at the Old Laundry, Methlick. All of these properties will be available for rent and three are already let to new tenants.

The Haddo District Heating Scheme aims to increase local business opportunities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy supply security and encourage the uptake of similar systems in the area. It is estimated that the Haddo District Heating Scheme will produce 216 tonnes of C02 savings per year.

By providing timber for chipping, the estate is also improving forest management by upgrading the quality and value of harvested timber, future productivity and asset value and habitat value and biodiversity.

The Haddo Estate scheme was supported by the Scottish Executive’s Biomass Support Scheme to establish wood fuel heating systems at the three sites within the Estate.