Leading the Way in Green Energy for the National Forest

Carbon management, Decarbonisation

Client: The National Forest Company (NFC)

 Jenna Bernard

 

Brief:

Tomson partnered with The National Forest Company (NFC), a charity dedicated to the creation and management of the National Forest in central England, to assess the energy efficiency and renewable energy potential of several of its key buildings. The focus was on integrating sustainability into its operations, reinforcing its leadership in eco-tourism and sustainable forest management.

Our task was to identify opportunities for energy savings, decarbonisation, and renewable energy generation at several key NFC-owned buildings at the Heart of the National Forest and create a roadmap for implementation.

 

 

 

Opportunities

We helped NFC identify numerous opportunities to enhance sustainability across their assets, for example;

  • Improving operational efficiency, with relatively low-cost measures that could deliver immediate benefits.
  • The installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, EV chargers, and low-carbon heating options such as heat pumps provided a pathway to decarbonising the energy supply for NFC's buildings.
  • Integration of a comprehensive monitoring system for ongoing energy optimisation.
  • We investigated the potential to use heat recovered from disused mines below the site to heat buildings.

Challenges

Several challenges were encountered during the evaluation and planning phases:

  • Each site presented unique challenges in terms of building structure, energy demand, and space availability.
  • The project depended on collaboration with a range of stakeholders, including site managers, energy suppliers, local authorities, and insurance providers. Aligning their interests and obtaining the necessary permissions and approvals was critical for progressing with renewable energy installations and infrastructure upgrades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Outcomes

The project delivered valuable insights and recommendations that would drive NFC's journey toward sustainability:

  • The recommended energy-saving measures, including refrigeration optimisation, improved insulation, and better control systems for heating and lighting, are expected to yield substantial energy savings, reducing operational costs and environmental impact.
  • The report prioritised the implementation of low-carbon heating systems. Low-carbon options like heat pumps and biomass heating were identified as viable alternatives.
  • Solar PV installations across most of the buildings were proposed, with next steps including collaboration with relevant stakeholders to address technical and regulatory challenges, such as connection upgrades and insurance considerations.
  • Implementing all of the recommended measures is projected to reduce location-based emissions by 56% and market-based emissions by 84%, making a substantial contribution to the NFC's net-zero goals and enhancing the environmental sustainability of the Heart of the National Forest.

By addressing these opportunities and overcoming the challenges, this project positions NFC as a leader in sustainable tourism and forest management. The integration of renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies will not only reduce carbon emissions but also provide educational and inspirational opportunities for visitors, furthering NFC's commitment to environmental stewardship.

 

 

 

“Decarbonisation is an area we knew nothing about but needed to understand as part of wider aspirations to reduce carbon emissions. Tomson undertook a thorough piece of work but more importantly explained it in a way we can understand and action.”