Warmer buildings
Cold winters often bring comments about the temperature of our buildings. Old storage heaters are being replaced with electric panel heaters with positive results in several properties including Luttrell’s Tower, the Pineapple, Shute Gatehouse and Freston Tower. The new system allows each room to be thermostatically controlled around the clock. Unlike the existing storage heaters, this will provide heat when it is most needed. The Mackintosh Building and Alton Station have new gas central heating, and Peake’s House has larger radiators and undergone draught proofing.
The Mackintosh Building, Perthshire will be warmer thanks to new gas central heating
Better lighting in Landmarks
One of the points we often hear is that the lighting levels in our buildings could be better. To remedy this, the furnishings team has embarked on a nationwide-programme of lighting improvements. Our furnishings team are making its way around the regions to change the vast majority of old bulbs to LED alternatives. LED technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, as has the availability of different bulb types. They use significantly less electricity - typically a 4W LED bulb produces a light output equivalent to a 60W tungsten bulb - and they last much longer too – around 20,000 hours versus 2,000 hours. The shift means that our Housekeepers will spend less time up ladders changing bulbs. We are taking the opportunity to introduce paler lampshades, check the lighting levels in every room and add lamps where needed and possible. It will take us a bit of time to get round every one of our 198 Landmarks but we have already tackled the lighting in over half of our buildings. Please let us know what you think.
Energy-efficient LED bulbs, paler lampshades and new panel heaters at Appleton Water Tower, Norfolk