Sustainability - Beckford's Tower
Sustainability
Learn more about how we embedded sustainability measures as part of the ‘Our Tower’ project in order to power the building sustainably and to future-proof the Tower.
Retrofitting a historic building: yes, it can be done
If you can get solar panels on the roof of a Grade I listed Tower in a World Heritage Site, and effective air source energy successfully heating and managing the museum environment, then any historic building or museum can retrofit.
In 2024 Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) approached the conservation of Beckford’s Tower with the aim to be an exemplar of how a small but complex building and museum could be adapted with sensitivity, creativity and collaboration. The result has been substantial carbon reduction, improved energy efficiency, and a new direction for contributing to social and climate justice.
More about the ‘Our Tower’ project
Key changes we made to become more sustainable
We are committed to adapting historic buildings to reduce consumption, improve energy efficiency and move to clean energy sources. We work in partnership with the local authority and Historic England to be leaders in this.
During 2024 at Beckford’s Tower we:
Removed the old oil-fuelled heating system and installed air source heat pumps
Installed solar panels on the roof, generating power for the museum and feeding back into grid
Replaced all windows with bespoke double-glazing
Installed an electric car charger
Adapted the original design of gutters, sumps and pipes to better cope with increased rainfall
Made the car park primarily Blue Badge parking only and encouraged the use of public transport and walking route
Installed bat and bird boxes and implemented a landscape ecology and biodiversity management plan
Opened two fields to the public, with accessible footpaths
Installed new planting in the landscape to increase biodiversity net gain
Solar panels on the Roof Terrace. Image by Prince Watson
Rebecca Faith Photography
Heating the museum
Thanks to air source heat pumps the Beckford’s Tower collection can stay in the building, and be open to the public, all year round for the first time.
Before 2024:
The Tower ran on oil to heat the staircase and night storage heaters in the museum.
It was impossible to achieve conservation parameters between October and February, with temperatures regularly below 10°c and humidity 85% rH and over.
The museum had to close November to April, objects were removed to storage and there was no public access.
GIS was not a possibility. Engaging and exciting projects with loans to explore and interrogate Beckford’s story were impossible.
Heating was expensive, inefficient and environmentally harmful.
We kept being told that air source heat pumps weren’t good enough yet to invest in. While developing the project (2021-22) there were only a handful of museums that had installed it, and there was not enough annual data to show effectiveness in museums.
However, we were determined to invest in renewable energy infrastructure so after careful consideration we decided to trial it and measure the results.
Two air source heat pumps later:
In winter 2024 the museum was warm, consistent 16-17°c and 60%rH for the first time in its history
The collection can stay in its home all year round
Loans are being planned with International and National Partner museums
We are now able to extend public opening dates to include the winter months
The power generated by the solar panels is being sold to the national grid, contributing green energy whilst off-setting costs.
For a small museum this has had huge impact, showing that taking a risk when others are saying it might not be there yet, is worth it.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter
Be the first to hear about our news and events
This site uses cookies to store information on your computer.
Some of these cookies are essential, while others help us to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.