Heating Historic Plas Newydd

An historic National Trust property not far from us here at the Oakeley Arms has today been revealed to be at the forefront of a new technology that could change the way we heat our homes and businesses.

Plas Newydd sits on the banks of the Menai Straits on Anglesey, and is one of the finest historic country houses in the area. However, it was also the National Trust’s most polluting property, using up gallons and gallons of oil to heat it.

Plas Newydd –
by Waterborough on Wiki Commons

But it seems that the way of heating Plas Newydd is about to undergo a radical transformation. The National Trust have recently invested over half a million pounds in a new kind of heating system, one of the first of its kind in the UK – and are pioneering the technology so it can be rolled out to other properties, and eventually to domestic houses and homes.

The clever new technology means that heating Plas Newydd is now an easier, cheaper and greener task than it was before. The process means that heat from the nearby sea water of the Menai Straits is harnessed and transformed into energy that is used to heat the historic building. The pumps use a compressor to pull heat from a source – sometimes the air or ground, but in this case the sea.

The scheme is a pioneering one in the UK and so has generated a lot of interest. It could lead the way for the nation to start changing the way we heat our homes, and to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, something the government is encouraging. It has a target of cutting CO2 emmissions by a whopping 80% by 2050, so our energy will have to come from other sources instead of oil or coal, which are highly polluting.

So, once again, a Snowdonia landmark is at the forefront of technology. And it’s a technology that we can all embrace, to keep our beautiful Snowdonia just as stunning for many, many future generations to come.

Find the full story from the BBC here. Plas Newydd is a National Trust property, and is open to the public. Find more information about opening hours and admission prices on the National Trust website.