Heating System at Château Destinée

As we are open all year round, installing an effective heating system was a priority in our renovation plans. The size of the building, its draughty original windows, and the lack of insulation all played a part in deciding what kind of system might work best. But the greatest challenge, at least at the beginning, was simply understanding what options were realistically available to us.

Oil, gas or wood pellets?

The château’s existing system ran on oil, which was clearly not a sensible long-term solution given rising costs and changing regulations. We considered gas, but with no gas supply on the property, that would have meant installing our own commercial tank. Although subsidies were available, it seemed likely that gas prices would follow much the same path as oil.

We also looked into wood pellet systems. In theory, they were appealing, but in practice they would have required a fire-safe storage room for pallets and a hopper to feed the system. That, in turn, would have meant excavating the ground to lower the floor level enough for loading, which quickly proved to be a major and impractical undertaking.

To make matters even more complicated, we struggled to find local companies able to install a system large enough to meet the needs of a building of this scale, whatever the technology.

Heat from the outside air

The breakthrough came with heat exchange pumps. While the technical details may still feel something of a mystery to me, the principle is simple enough: the system draws heat from the outside air and converts it into hot water, which then circulates through the existing radiators that had once been used by the oil system.

What was installed

Eight external heat exchange units
Seven hot water tanks linked to the existing system
Additional insulation in the cellar ceiling and other accessible roof spaces

Together, these changes also doubled our hot water storage capacity.

The result

Our electricity usage has increased, but when balanced against the complete removal of oil purchases, our overall energy costs have gone down. More importantly, the entire château is now warm and comfortable, and hot water never runs out, even when 60 guests are all getting ready for an event at the same time.

It may not be the most visible or photogenic feature of the château, but its impact on guest comfort is enormous. Winter events here were always beautiful. Now, they are not only beautiful, but truly cosy.

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