Residents to benefit from new boilers thanks to grant

A £34,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation has enabled the installation of two new boilers at Abbeyfield House, Brecon.

Abbeyfield House is a sheltered housing scheme located near the centre of Brecon and managed by charity the Abbeyfield Brecon Society.

Over the next few months Abbeyfield Brecon will install the two new condensing boilers in place of the current 30-year-old gas ones and will provide heating and hot water for the 12 residents’ rooms, as well as the communal and staff areas, including the kitchen and laundry facilities.

The purchasing of a new control system, water cylinders and pumps to upgrade the entire heating system will help to reduce the house’s use of gas by up to 25 per cent, contributing towards its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and the reduction of heating bills – a saving that will be passed on to the residents.

Abbeyfield Brecon chair of trustees Penelope Weston said: “We are delighted that the Wolfson Foundation has provided us with the funding needed to complete this important energy-saving project.

“The modernisation and improving the energy-efficiency of the house is one of our key objectives for this year, and the installation of the two new boilers will contribute immeasurably to achieving our sustainability targets. Building on the installation of solar panels in 2019, a more efficient heating and hot water system will, we hope, make the home more comfortable for our residents, whose wellbeing is our highest priority, while reducing their bills.

It will also provide a better working environment for our staff and volunteers, and a more welcoming one for visitors.

“Similarly, the new boilers will have lower running and maintenance costs for the house to bear.

“As a not-for-profit organisation, any savings we make will be put towards further enhancing the quality of life for our residents.”

The grant is the second successful application that Abbeyfield has made to the Wolfson Foundation’s Sustainability Fund, following the awarding of £13,500 in July 2022 to enable the installation of automated meter reading technology in nearly 100 of Abbeyfield’s houses and homes nationwide.

The Foundation’s Sustainability Fund supported a variety of organisations to undertake basic refurbishment and maintenance works that enhanced the sustainability of buildings, improved energy efficiency and reduced ongoing costs.