First UK RHI grant awarded for carbon negative ground source heat project Bullhouse Mill by Earthtest Energy Watch the video below:

Why Charles Booth selected Earthtest Energy for the Bullhouse Mill project...

A video description of the heating and ventilation systems installed at Bullhouse Mill, one of the first buildings in Britain to be certificated 'Carbon Negative'. The converted mill is now heated using a combination of ground source heat pumps, underfloor heating and heat exchanger technologies. The integrated heating and ventilation system is rated at 24 Kilowatts and the building generates more energy than it consumes. It was the first commercial development in the UK to qualify for the government's Renewable Heat Incentive payments. The story is told by the developer, Charles Booth.

Originally constructed as a watermill for grinding corn in the 1700s, the building had fallen into disuse and disrepair. In 2010 its owners, Booth Brothers printers of South Yorkshire, decided to convert it into modern office accommodation for let. Their ambition was to rebuild to the same standard as the original construction and to ensure that the resulting development would have a low energy demand and be environmentally sustainable, both in construction and use.

In the design phase of the project the company specified low energy options wherever they could. When it came to the heating system, no low-energy option was offered until Charles Booth met with Earthtest Energy, who suggested ground source or geothermal heating using existing heat extracted from the ground, combined with an integrated heat recovery system recycling heat from air used for ventilation.

To achieve the extraordinary potential of this technology, much of the building had to be redesigned; the level of heat insulation and heat retention required to ensure the system would work efficiently was far greater than is conventionally used in design-and-build commercial developments.

The Old Corn Mill offices were formally opened in 2011 by Manchester and England footballer Gary Neville and Under Secretary of State Andrew Stunell, with a special remit for low carbon buildings. Both men were astonished by the development and by the impact of the geothermal heating system. Andrew Stunell subsequently asked to cite the building as best practice for sustainable, low carbon development both in government and in the construction industry.

From a financial perspective, the low occupation costs are very significant not only to the owners but also to the offices' tenants, many of whom were attracted by the building's sustainability credentials. Without the low carbon status, through the recession, it would probably be empty still.

As Charles Booth states: "Our experience here has shown us that if you want a long-term solution to sustainable heating, and your construction project is right for geothermal heating, it is without doubt the right solution.

"When we talked to Earthtest, we were convinced by their extraordinary technological knowledge of this system, and their passion for this system, which came over very strongly. We had to trust them completely, in so far as if this system didn't work, there was no-one else going to come in and fix it, because it was largely designed and installed completely by them, using their technology and knowledge. So it's a question of trust. And we trusted them and we've been right to trust them.

"Earthtest's understanding of geothermal heating I think is beyond compare. If the system will not work in your premises, I think they will tell you, and they would walk away. I think they are interested only in long-term sustainable solutions. So you can trust them and I have now done the same project following this office with my house, which i think speaks volumes, and we've been very satisfied in that project as well."

Viewthe detailed CASE STUDY of the Bullhouse Mill carbon negative ground source heat project by clicking here