Yeo Valley to get state-of-the-art biomass boiler
Greenwise Staff
10th November 2008
The Somerset-based yogurt and desserts producer Yeo Valley is to benefit from a state-of-the-art biomass boiler at its head office in Blagdon, thanks to a £44,000 grant.
The new biomass heating system, which will be run on miscanthus – otherwise known as elephant grass – is being installed at The Mendip Centre, which also houses the offices of the family-run Holt Farms Ltd, which supplies Yeo Valley, and Lakewood Conference Centre.
It is estimated the boiler will save £11,000 on annual energy costs and reduce carbon emissions by 72 tonnes compared to the existing oil-fired heating system.
The elephant grass is being grown on Holt Farms' own land less than two miles away.
“This is an important step forward in our quest for sustainability,” said Garth Clark, managing director of Holt Farms. “Both Yeo Valley and Holt Farms have been developing a range of significant activities to reduce our carbon footprints. We have already built a farm visitor and training centre where all the electricity is powered completely ‘off grid’ by solar panels.”
The £44,000 grant was awarded by the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), as part of the South West Bioheat Programme.
Claire Gibson, director of Planning, Transport and the Environment at SWRDA, said: "This is a great example of how a business can provide modern facilities without damaging the environment.”
Stephen Green, bioheat programme manager for Regen SW, which runs the South West Bioheat programme, said it was imperative that the South West make the most of its natural resources, particularly its ample supply of wood fuel.
“Holt Farms is a prime example of how the region is taking huge strides forward in this area, and with up to 50MW of other schemes in the pipeline as part of the South West Bioheat programme, we could soon be delivering enough heat for the equivalent of around 13,000 homes,” he commented.