St John's Achieve Zero Carbon In A Listed Building

The refurbishment of a listed property in St Giles, Oxford is the unlikely location for a zero carbon project comprising biomass heating, wall & ceiling radiant heat emitters, SMART controls and a roof mounted PV array.

The unusual brief has come from the buildings tenants, who have a requirement not only for a sustainable building, but one which also minimised air borne dust and chemical pollutants for health reasons.

Conventional radiators and underfloor heating both 'stir' the air due to convective currents whereas ceiling or wall heating panels provide much less air movement, and improved air quality.

Illustration of wall heating within a modern property. Courtesy of Variotherm

The end result is very likely to be a 'first' - with the introduction of a wood pellet store in the basement, biomass boiler and wall heating panels incorporated over the lath & plaster partitioning throughout the property. In certain areas including the entrance hall, ceiling panels are utilised to increase the heat output.

Windhager wood pellet biomass boiler. Image courtesy of Windhager.

The ceiling and wall heat emitters have been installed over the top of the lath and plaster protecting the heritage elements of the property. Pre-fabricated wall and ceiling panels with integrated pipework are fixed to a new layer of plywood and infil plasterboard placed around to complete the finished look.