The National Trust - tackling climate change in Cornwall....

Why they are doing things to help the climate....

The National Trust works to preserve and protect the coastline, countryside and buildings of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It sees climate change as one of the biggest challenges and recognises its impacts will increasingly affect the historic buildings, gardens, countryside and coast that are in its care.

As an organisation, the Trust is learning how to manage these impacts, such as floods, storm damage and seasonal change; and they want to make sure the way the care for our buildings and land, and run their operations, do not contribute to further climate change.

What they are doing....

The National Trust is committed to reducing its own carbon footprint and in developing projects that can enable people to learn about adaptation and efficient resource use. The Trust has adopted an energy policy that commits them to reduce their overall use of energy and to substitute fossil fuels with renewable energy wherever appropriate, as quickly as possible given financial, technological and conservation constraints.

In Cornwall the National Trust is taking steps to reduce energy use in their buildings and has already installed a number of renewable energy projects. These help to reduce the Trust’s impact on the climate and include:

The Stables at Penrose – uses a wood chip burner using wood from the estate to provide heating and hot water for the building. This provides carbon free heat and helps to manage the woodland as well;
Kynance Cove – the recent restoration of the buildings at this cove included the installation of photo-voltaic solar slates that generate electricity from the sun throughout the year. The building also used natural wool insulation and solar water heating;
Poltesco – the Trust plan to install a hydro power installation using old leats from previous water wheels. This will generate carbon free electricity from the flow of water that passes down the valley. Also at Poltesco, Carleon House has been renovated and a ground source heat pump installed, sheeps wool insulation has been included throughout the building and a solar water heater has been placed on the roof;
Botallack Count House – uses ground source heat pumps to provide heating and hot water for the building;
Chyvarloe Basecamp near Helston – uses solar hot water heating. This centre provides accommodation for the hundreds of volunteers each year undertaking practical conservation tasks on Trust coastline within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Why it’s important…..

We all use energy in our everyday lives including at home, work and in organisations such as the National Trust. Around two thirds of this energy in the UK comes from power stations that are burning fossil fuels which release greenhouse gases and in particular carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Every tonne emitted commits us to more warming.

The National Trust recognises this problem and is therefore taking steps to reduce the amount of emissions it is responsible for. By insulating its properties it is using energy as efficiently as possible and saving carbon emissions. By using renewable energy the Trust is generating its own heat and power without generating any carbon emissions.

We can all do something about climate change by reducing our energy use and by starting to use more renewable energy. These measures help because every tonne of emissions we avoid reduces the threat of climate change.

Further information....

National Trust
You can find out more about why the National Trust is tackling climate change from its website. Climate change is already affecting the National Trust and it has produced information on how this is happening and how the Trust is adapting to it, available from this link. You can also find out more about how and why the Trust is using renewable energy from this link.

Solar Power
Using the energy in sunlight we can produce electricity and hot water without creating carbon emissions. Solar photovoltaic panels converting sunlight directly into electricity (even on cloudy days). They can be integrated into buildings and even made into roof tiles, virtually indistinguishable from normal tiles. Solar hot water panels convert the energy in the sun directly into hot water.

Ground Source Heat Pumps
In the UK this technology is being increasing used to provide low carbon heat and hot water. Systems vary, but generally rely on pumping water around a closed loop in the ground which is at a higher temperature that the air temperature at the ground surface. A heat pump is then used to extract this useful heat to provide heating and hot water.

Wood Fuel
Wood and other plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and this is released again when they are burnt. As such they are a carbon neutral fuel, because the only carbon they release is the same amount they absorbed when they grew. By using this we can therefore reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

The Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership has produced fact sheets on all the major renewable energy technologies; you can download these from their website. If you are interested in installing renewable energy at your home, business, community building or school you can apply to the Low Carbon Buildings Programme for a grant towards this work.

Energy Conservation
Saving energy is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to help tackle climate change. You don’t need to make major alterations to see the difference. The right combination of small changes, many costing nothing, can reduce your energy bill and help the climate.

Free and independent advice on saving energy at home and in other buildings is available. For action at home visit the Cornwall Energy Efficiency Advice Centre website or speak to them for free on 0800 512012. For business and other buildings contact the Carbon Trust who provide free resources and support. You can call them for free on 0800 085 2005 or visit their website.

Photos courtesy of National Trust

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