One of the joys of my job is getting out to beautiful places and learning about the great things that our property teams are doing to reduce their energy consumption.  Uppark is a good example.  They had a wood chip boiler installed at the end of 2009.  The new boiler has replaced heating oil and is more efficient, using fewer kWh to heat the mansion.   Their fossil fuel consumption has reduced by 77% since the baseline year of 2009.  But it is not all about the boiler!  In addition, they have great energy efficiency practices and have reduced their electricity consumption by 18% since 2009. 

At Uppark, staff monitor the energy used each month to ensure they are aware of what they are using and where and have taken the following steps to reduce their consumption of energy: 

• Across the property they ensure all appliances and lights are turned off when not in use and items are not left on standby over night. Items are only turned on when needed rather than first thing in the morning.
• Low energy light bulbs are used where possible and when they purchase new appliances they get those with the highest energy efficiency rating.
• Doors that can be kept closed and not affect the visitor experience are closed when the heating is on. 
• To minimise the use of fuel in the mowers, difficult and time consuming areas under the trees are not cut.
• They use plug-in timers for the chargers for their two-way radios. 

They also have taken some actions that required some medium-scale investment:

• All roof areas across the property have high levels of insulation.
• Secondary glazing has been installed in non-sensitive and comfort heated areas.
• They are installing a small PV system for charging battery powered equipment in the gardens.

This is a great example of a team that is dedicated to lowering energy consumption and making a big difference through small and medium-scale measures.