HISTORIC Scotland bosses have cut the heating bill at Edinburgh Castle by £110,000 a year by using wool as insulation.
The fleece lining for the castle’s historic buildings cut its carbon footprint by 18 per cent.
The castle uses
HISTORIC Scotland bosses have cut the heating bill at Edinburgh Castle by £110,000 a year by using wool as insulation.
The fleece lining for the castle’s historic buildings cut its carbon footprint by 18 per cent.
The castle uses as much energy as 300 homes but its heating bill dropped 27 per cent from £400,000 to £291,000.
And that’s despite rising fuel costs and increasing visitor numbers at the Historic Scotland attraction.
Dr Ewan Hyslop, head of sustainability and science for Historic Scotland, said the wool of Scottish sheep was “an effective and sustainable way of maintaining heat” in a castle.
He said: “Being a natural material, it’s breathable, which is important in a historic building as it allows moisture and dampness out.
“It’s easy to handle as you don’t need to wear protective equipment, it has great thermal qualities and it’s also fire-resistant.
“On top of that, it’s sustainable and by using it we are supporting the rural economies.
“The bottom’s fallen out of the wool market and using this is supporting our indigenous industry, as we should.” Other green measures include replacing hundreds of light bulbs with energy-efficient ones, insulating exposed pipes and fitting “smart meters” to measure where energy is being used.
Staff have also been reminded of the easy ways to save energy – such as shutting doors and windows, turning off lights and turning down radiators in rooms not in use.
Dr Hyslop added: “It’s not all about technology, a lot of it’s really simple stuff.
“People are often great at being green at home but often aren’t as much when out or at work.”
More recent moves include replacing the castle’s old boilers with modern, ener