St Beuno's is a large 19th Century college building
with high ceilings, large corridors and many ornate
single glazed and stained glass windows. Interestingly
in Victorian days there was a heat exchange system
in the ground floor so that heat from greenhouses
was brought into the main house. From 1848
when the house was first built, until the 1940's
the main form of heating in the winter was open
fires. Oil fired central heating was then
installed.
The building has been listed as grade 2* which
means that changes to the outside and even structural
changes indoors cannot take place without local
government approval. As you can imagine to keep
such a building heated uses much energy.
There is a continuous process of trying to reduce
the amount of energy used.
A few of the items are
listed below:
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| April
2008 |
Plans are afoot to restore the ponds in the
lower garden and enlarge them to provide a more
diverse habitat in the grounds and to provide
water features to enhance the variety of areas
in the grounds. It is hoped that work can start
on this in the autumn of 2008. We have already
had a donation to help us in this work, and we
are hoping for certain grants. |
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| April
2008 |
  A
report from "Business
Sense" on Sustainability of Economy,
Society and Environment said of St Beuno's:
"The Centre shows a remarkably well-balanced
approach to sustainable development."
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January
2008 |
Biodiversity audit: Plans to be
made to encourage bidodiversity in St Beuno's
grounds and to maintain ancient orchard. |
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| December
2007 |
After an energy audit by The
Carbon Trust, we have a programme of energy
saving measures which we hope to complete between
December and January 2008. |
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2007
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All accessible roof space in the main house
insulated with 20cm fibre. |
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2006
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Energy saving light bulbs installed in Dining
Room |
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2005
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Winter heating turned down by 1 degree |
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2004 |
Energy audit commissioned |
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2004
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St Beuno's house cars reduced by two (the oldest
and most polluting). |
2003 |
Thermostat attached to heating system |
2000 |
Energy saving light bulbs placed in main corridors |
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1990
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Most of the main corridors carpeted |
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1984
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Doubled glazed windows put into most bedrooms |
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Some things have been done,
there is much to be done. |
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