“Mummy, what’s THAT?!” Enquired my machine-mad five year old on the way home from school. “It’s a boring machine love” I explained, “it’s going to drill a very small, but very deep, hole in the ground.” He looked at me witheringly and peered through the wire fence, “That’s NOT boring” he said, “it’s very interesting…”
Perhaps not everyone is as enthusiastic about the boring machine in the church car park, but we at St George’s are very excited about the start of this fifth, and final, phase in our bid to become a carbon neutral church. This final push will see the installation of two boreholes and a ground source heat pump which, with the power from the solar panels on the roof, will mean the church is heated entirely from renewable energy sources.
The drilling work started last week and will be ongoing for about three weeks. The stairs and access from the north car park to the existing boiler room are also being widened as part of the project as the boiler room will shortly become the plant room and home to the new ground source heat pump.
It was touch and go as to whether this work would be proceeding now, whilst we can still receive the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive, but a shortfall of £28,000 was donated by the congregation to allow the project to go ahead while its still available. This work has been seven years in the planning, and, with four phases, a PV array on the roof, insulation throughout, two thermal lobbies, underfloor heating and a new meeting room already completed, this final step feels quite momentous.
Updates and photos of the work in progress will be posted here over the coming days and weeks.
