Woodburning Stoves Installed As Part Of Hardwick Hall Renovation

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire has just been refurbished and recently reopened to the public boasting green credentials that include two new woodburning stoves.
As part of the renovation project on the Elizabethan house, once home to Bess of Hardwick and now run by the National Trust, woodburning stoves have been installed in the book room of the shop and visitors centre located in the Stableyard.
The National Trust said the aim of the revamp was to incorporate green technologies into the Stableyard “to either generate energy or recycle materials and resources”. Visitors to Hardwick Hall will now “be able to see how much energy is generated and water recycled on a display in the lobby of the facilities”.
There is a wood burner in the new shop which was installed in order to “supplement the heating for this building and create a cosy atmosphere for you to browse through the books on sale”. Woodburning stoves are a fantastic way to enhance a building’s eco-friendliness as well as means of heating the property and providing a wonderful focal point.
The second woodburning stove has been installed within the brand new visitors centre and provides a “truly warm welcome”.
The Duke of Devonshire, who opened the renovated Hardwick Hall, said: “I have personally followed this project with great interest, from the point of view of the restoration of heritage buildings using traditional skills and craftsmanship, and the fact that these buildings were built by my family,” BBC News reports.
“I think she (Bess of Hardwick) would have been thrilled because she loved value for money – so to see these buildings, which were falling into dereliction until the National Trust realised that they had ideas… which would help the visitors make a more enjoyable day out here, she would have been thrilled with that.”
Other green initiatives for the newly-renovated Hardwick Hall include a biomass boiler to deliver heating and hot water to the Stableyard that burns locally sourced wood pellets, and recycling rain water.
Wood is a renewable resource and virtually carbon neutral, making it the ideal choice for environmentally-friendly projects like the recent renovation work at Hardwick Hall. A tree absorbs CO2 throughout its lifetime and only when it is burned does it release carbon, and only at the same level that it took away from the atmosphere – hence its virtual carbon neutrality. Plus, combine this with a woodburning stove and wood as a fuel is even better because it burns more slowly in a stove.
Stoves themselves are highly efficient nowadays and most modern models feature an energy efficiency rating in excess of 70%. In contrast to an open fire, an average stove is around three-times as efficient – open fireplaces have a maximum efficiency of 25%.
And of course all the benefits of an open fireplace can still be enjoyed with a woodburning stove. You have a clear view of the flames dancing within and it becomes a natural focal point similar to how an open fire does in any room.